THE Alas Pilipinas Men concluded their campaign at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in 13th place out of 16 nations. While returning home with just two victories, the squad leaves with invaluable international experience and a clear roadmap for the program’s future. Alas secured its first on-court win on Friday with a four-set victory over Uzbekistan (25-19, 25-15, 23-25, 25-17), followed by a victory by default against Kyrgyzstan on Saturday, Oct. 3. Despite a short preparation window, the team showed flashes of strong play throughout the tournament, holding their own in the preliminary round against powerhouse China and putting up spirited fights against Taiwan and Indonesia. Alas team manager Ronwald Dimaculangan highlighted limited practice time as the main obstacle to stronger results. “Preparation — specifically dedicated training camps — is essential for better results, but we’re still glad to secure a win at the Asian Games,” said Dimaculangan, who also serves as the head coach for the University of the East in the UAAP. To bridge the gap with the region’s top programs, Dimaculangan emphasized the need for a comprehensive development pipeline. “We need to identify talent early and bring in coaches who have proven experience at the international level,” Dimaculangan noted. “The goal is to instill a mindset of representing the country, so our athletes set their standards beyond just local competition.” He added that building a competitive national program will require sustained collaboration and strong support across all volleyball stakeholders.