AEP-Cabstars weathered Ranran Abdilla’s 37-point explosion and bounced back from a first-set stumble to defeat the Armed Forces of the Philippines, 26-28, 25-20, 25-17, 25-18, and secure its first win in the 2026 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference on Sunday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
The Cabstars appeared poised for a strong start after taking a 24-21 lead in the opening set, only for Abdilla to spark a late rally and snatch the frame away from AEP-Cabstars.
Refusing to let the narrow setback derail their momentum, the Cabstars regrouped and took control of the match, dominating AFP in the next three sets to seal the one-hour, 44-minute victory and improve to 1-2 in the standings.
“Happy kami doon sa first win namin against AFP,” said AEP-Cabstars head coach Kitty Antiporta. “Sabi ko lang sa mga players na ‘yung communication namin, saka at the same time ‘yung resilience na everytime na magkakamali kami. Kasi dun sa first set medyo nawala kami eh.”
“Magandang challenge rin sa mga bata na i-look up ‘yung mga old players na hanggang ngayon, ganun pa rin maglaro,” he added.
Leo Aringo spearheaded the Cabstars’ comeback with his best performance of the tournament organized by Sports Vision, finishing with a team-high 23 points on 22 attacks and one block while tallying 22 excellent receptions.
Dave Lardizabal backstopped Aringo with 15 points on 12 attacks, two blocks, and one ace, along with seven excellent digs. John Santiagudo and Paul Malaiba added 11 points apiece, with Malaiba also recording 17 excellent receptions.
John Wayne Arano orchestrated the offense with 25 excellent sets and three points.
AEP-Cabstars also held a commanding 56-33 advantage in attacks and capitalized on 33 unforced errors by AFP, making the most of its opponent’s miscues to sustain its momentum and complete the comeback victory.
The Cabstars will enjoy a nine-day break before returning to action against Alpha Insurance on November 4 at 3 p.m. at the same venue, aiming to build on their breakthrough victory and secure their second win of the conference.
Abdilla, who set the Spikers’ Turf scoring record with 47 points in 2023, delivered another sensational performance three years later, erupting for 37 points while adding 16 excellent receptions.
However, his efforts went unrewarded as the Cavaliers fell to 0-3, remaining tied with VNS-Laticrete at the bottom of the 10-team standings.
AFP will look to snap its three-game losing streak when it takes on the Griffins on Tuesday at 3 p.m. at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
