THE Alas Pilipinas Men held the upper hand several times but Osaka Bluteon asserted its superiority and scored a 25-17, 25-10, 25-21 victory in the Alas Pilipinas Invitationals on Sunday at the Philippine Arena in Pasig City.

Olympian and Filipino fan favorite Yuji Nishida again came up huge for the Japan V.League squad with 12 points, seven from attacks, four aces and a block as the visitors completed a sweep of the two exhibition matches against Alas Pilipinas.

Still, Alas Pilipinas team members were elated after the weekend volleyball spectacle, with team captain Kim Malabunga noting that the matches helped identify the areas they need to work on.

Although the Philippines seized the lead several times, Osaka Bluteon was always quick to recover.

“The speed in blocking, quickness in other areas. These are just a few of the things we need to focus on,” Malabunga said. “Individually and as a team, we have to improve in preparation for the world championships.”

The invitationals are part of the events for the one-year countdown to the FIVB Volleyball World Men’s Championship the Philippines is hosting from September 12 to 28, 2025.

“It’s a very good experience. It was very very difficult but for us, it was a very good experience,” Alas Pilipinas coach Angiolino Frigoni said.

Six-foot-2 Cuban Miguel Angel Lopez Castro scored 10, with nine from attacks plus an ace for the Japanese club, six-time champions in the Japanese top flight.

Buds Buddin and Jade Disquitado wowed the crowd as they got all their points from attacks, the former notching nine points and the latter six.