Alpha Insurance closed out the first round of eliminations with back-to-back wins, cruising past VNS Always Bright Laticrete, 25-16, 25-20, 25-18, to stay at third spot in the 2026 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference on Sunday at the Filoil Playtime Centre.
The Protectors hardly broke a sweat in dismantling the young Griffins, relying on their experience and firepower to dominate from start to finish, finishing the opening round of the tournament organized by Sports Vision with a 3-2 record.
Still, coach Mike Santos insisted they remain a work in progress.
“To be fair, hindi pa talaga eh. Ang dami pa rin naming errors eh, siguro masaya lang ako kasi nakalagpas kami sa VNS ngayon kasi dalawang conference na kaming nagsa-struggle sa kanila,” said Santos.
Jau Umandal played his best game for the Protectors thus far, unleashing 16 points on 15 attacks and one ace.
Setter Cian Silang, on the other hand, came through with 16 excellent sets and finished with two points.
Edward Camposano added eight markers and 13 excellent receptions, while JM Ronquillo also scored eight points.
Alpha Insurance overwhelmed their opponents in attacks, 45-24, and asserted their control at the net with a 7-4 block advantage. The Protectors also scored two aces.
Alpha Insurance hopes to ride on those two victories as they face the powerhouse Criss Cross King Crunchers at the start of the second round on Wednesday, 5 p.m., at the same venue.
Meanwhile, VNS absorbed its fifth straight loss in as many games.
Terrence Marticion put up 15 points on 14 attacks and one kill block for the Griffins, who will look to break through against the 3B Event Masters, also on Wednesday at 3 p.m.
