Pasay city: Coming off its first-ever win on the world championship stage, the national men’s volleyball team Alas Pilipinas will try to add another feather to its cap: a Round of 16 slot. It will be a tough battle, though, as it goes up against world No. 16 Iran. Match time is 5:30 p.m. at Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday, the end of the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship pool stage.

According to Philippines News Agency, led by team captain Bryan Bagunas, Leo Ordiales, and Marck Espejo, Alas Pilipinas overcame African champion Egypt 29-27, 23-25, 25-21, 25-21 in Pool A on Tuesday. The win resulted in the Philippines climbing to world No. 77 from 88th spot.

Egypt and Tunisia, which beat the Philippines on opening day, also have 1-1 cards. They clash at 1:30 p.m. for the other Round of 16 ticket. Bagunas, who spearheaded the charge against Egypt with 25 points, said Alas Pilipinas is determined to show Filipino players are among the world’s best. “I believe we can go really far,” he said in a news releas
e. “We can push ourselves and compete with high-level teams. We’re capable of giving our best.”

Poriya Kandzadeh, just 21, and 26-year-old skipper Morteza Sharifi will lead Iran, which beat Tunisia also on Tuesday, 23-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-16. Poriya scored 21 points, including 18 kills and three aces, while Morteza contributed 18 points from 10 spikes, five aces, and three blocks against Tunisia.

“We’ll approach it the same way we did Tuesday — we’re just going to enjoy the game,” Espejo said. “We’ve got nothing to lose. Of course, there’s a bit of pressure since we already won one game, so we still have a chance to make it to the Round of 16. That win really boosted our confidence.”