Savouge picked up from where it left off in the first round, blasting past PGJC-Navy, 25-18, 25-14, 25-21, to tighten its grip on third place in the 2025 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference at the Ynares Sports Arena late Sunday.
The Spin Doctors asserted their dominance in the first two sets before capitalizing on the Sealions’ miscues late in the third frame to complete the straight-set victory, replicating their sweep of VNS-Laticrete Griffins at the close of the first-round elims last Wednesday.
With a 4-2 slate, Savouge stayed within striking distance of unbeaten Criss Cross (6-0) and second-running Cignal (5-1), with coach Sydney Calderon pleased with the team’s strong start in the second round.
“We’re happy because that was really our goal. Coming into the second round, our mindset was to perform even better than we did in the first round,” said Calderon in Filipino.
Locked at 21-all in the third set, Savouge capitalized on crucial miscues from Navy, including a service error from Jeric Carangian, followed by a thunderous hit from Mark Calado that pierced through the Sealions’ blockers for a 23-21 lead.
A video challenge then overturned a supposed point for Navy, showing no contact on the block, giving the Spin Doctors match point at 24-21.
Giles Torres then hammered a floating ball to seal the win in one hour and eight minutes – Savouge's first triumph over the Sealions in three conferences.
“It’s just a bit sad because their key players like (Joeven) Dela Vega and (Greg) Dolor weren’t around. But even so, they were still tough to beat. Among all the teams, it feels like Navy has some sort of curse on us because we’ve never beaten them in three conferences,” added Calderon.
Calado spearheaded Savouge’s assault with 15 points, all from attacks, while Shawie Caritativo backed him up with 10 points, five excellent digs and four excellent receptions.
Torres finished with nine markers, JD Diwa contributed seven, while Louis Gamban and new recruit Madz Gampong added six points each.
Setter John Hernandez kept the offense fluid with 12 excellent sets, while libero Rikko Marmeto anchored the floor defense with 10 excellent digs and nine excellent receptions.
Jacob and Carangian led Navy’s scoring with nine points apiece, but the team sorely missed the services of Dela Vega and Dolor, resulting in their fourth straight loss for a 1-5 card.
Savouge faces a tougher test when it clashes with Cignal on Wednesday at 6 p.m., while Navy hopes to snap its slump against Alpha Insurance at 1 p.m. in the tournament presented by Arena Plus and Mikasa.
