Frigoni keeps faith in Alas men despite skid

MANILA, Philippines — There is nowhere to go but up for the beleaguered Alas Pilipinas Men.

Still waiting for his roster to be at full strength and the young guns to be on the fly, Alas coach Angiolino Frigoni and his wards suffered another jarring blow, bowing to Leg 1 titlist Cambodia, 25-20, 25-21, 25-20, in their SEA V Cup Leg 2 duel Thursday night at the Jakarta International Velodrome.

It was a defeat that saw the Filipinos free fall to No. 106 in the FIVB world rankings from No. 97 the day before and as high at No. 77 during last year’s World Championship in Manila where they finished a historic 19th.

Despite the slide, the veteran Italian tactician is keeping his trust in his youth-laden squad that is missing its biggest stars – Bryan Bagunas and Marck Espejo.

Without the power duo, the Nationals fell prey to more complete foes in last week’s six-nation Leg 1 in Candon, Ilocos Sur where they wound up fifth – their worst effort in the annual meet.

Alas will have a chance to bounce back as it tackles Indonesia, the Group A leader with a 1-0 card, tonight.