Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 13) — The Philippines made a giant leap in the International Volleyball Federation world rankings after sweeping the elimination round of the 2023 AVC Challenge Cup in Chinese Taipei.
The Filipino spikers jumped 111 spots in the world rankings, from number 167 to number 56, following convincing victories over Macau and Mongolia.
Returning Marck Espejo said they hope this milestone will be a start of an upward trajectory for the national squad.
“At first, we did not notice the rankings. But since it came out in social media that we jumped this high, we were surprised. We are happy about this but I hope we will soar higher after our win against Macau,” he told CNN Philippines’ Sports Desk Thursday.
The former Ateneo de Manila University standout is coming off an injury as he missed the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia.
“I’m happy to be back with the national team and my first tournament coming off an injury resulted to a higher ranking.”
The Philippines will aim for another win against Mongolia in the AVC Challenge Cup on July 14.
