71 years, countless battles—but this win made Frigoni lay down in joy

Angiolino Frigoni has stood on volleyball’s biggest stages—from the Olympics to the World Championship—but even he could not resist collapsing to the ground after Alas Pilipinas’ historic triumph on Tuesday night.

Playing in front of a massive crowd at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, the Philippine men’s national volleyball team executed a near-perfect performance en route to a stunning 29-27, 23-25, 25-21, 25-21 victory over world No. 21 Egypt, leveling all teams in Pool A of the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship.

After Marck Espejo’s decisive block on Abdelrahman Elhossiny sealed the win, Frigoni—who rarely shows outward enthusiasm—laid on the ground in pure joy as his team accomplished what had once seemed impossible: a win on the world stage.

Alas Pilipinas was not even supposed to compete in the World Championship, having qualified for the biennial event only as hosts.

“I laid on the ground because I was very happy. This was not just for you and the Filipinos, but for this team, which has been with me for 15 or 16 months. I saw how they improved and how they learned to play,” Frigoni said.

“I was waiting for them to win a match to show everybody how much we improved in these 16 months. That happened today. I’m very happy for it,” he added.

And while he has seen it all and coached stronger national teams in the past, the feeling of winning never gets old for Frigoni—especially when considering the transformation of Alas Pilipinas from June 2024, when he first took over, to what it is now.

This win also gave the Philippines a massive boost in FIVB rankings, jumping from 88th to 77th and nearly doubling its ranking score from 21.69 to 39.83.

“I am 71, and I’ve been to countless World Championships, but every team has a story, a background. For me, I had to lay down on the floor because I was so happy,” said the Italian mentor.

Despite the euphoria, Frigoni remained grounded, fully aware that this is just one win and that more challenges await—especially the do-or-die match against Iran on Thursday for a spot in the Round of 16.

“We just won today. I don’t know where we’ll be in two days, even though we were so stable today. You have to understand that. Just because we beat Egypt today doesn’t mean we’re the best team in the world!” Frigoni said.

“We are still the same team as before—sometimes we play very well, sometimes not so much. We have to be consistent at this level to compete. Once we achieve that consistency, we can discuss bigger goals. But for now, it’s just one match.” Danny Simon

Despite having been in numerous wars, winning still does not get old for Angiolino Frigoni (FIVB MWCH 2025 LOC)