Savouge raised its level after dropping a tight opening set, defeating AEP Cabstars, 25-27, 25-15, 25-19, 25-16, to move a step closer to the 2026 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference Finals on Friday at the Filoil Playtime Centre in San Juan.
The Spin Doctors’ victory made them the last remaining unbeaten team in the round-robin semifinals at 2-0—just one win away from completing a sweep of the three-game set.
Savouge now turns into an interested observer of the Criss Cross-Alpha Insurance match, which was ongoing as of publishing time. A win by the King Crunchers would hand the Spin Doctors their first-ever Finals berth in franchise history in the league organized by Sports Vision and supported by Alpha Insurance, Black Mamba, Premiere EMS, and ArenaPlus.
“Nag-stick lang kami sa sistema, and sabi ko lang, prepared sa drop balls and kung ano yung approach ng spikers nila sa kabila. So, second set, nag-adjust kami. Sabi ko, hindi puwedeng puro drop ball; dapat lagyan namin sila ng pressure, and ayun, nagsunod-sunod na,” said Savouge head coach Sydney Calderon.
The Spin Doctors were at set point in the opening frame, 24-22, but squandered the lead as Nas Gwaza, Jay Rack Dela Noche, and EJ Casaña combined for a 5-1 closing run to steal the set, 27-25.
Savouge, however, responded emphatically, dominating the second set, 25-15, and never looked back.
Vince Imperial then played a key role in the fourth-set surge—not with his playmaking, but through his scoring—as he fired four early points to help build a 14-9 lead en route to the win in one hour and 44 minutes.
Savouge’s net defense took center stage, tallying 23 blocks compared to AEP’s six.
“Unli blockings talaga ang team sa akin sa drills. Meron talaga akong drills na specific for blocking kasi ‘yun ang nakita ko nung eliminations na hindi talaga maganda. We could do better pa sana nung eliminations, so sabi ko, bawi tayo sa semifinals,” shared Calderon.
Mark Calado led the Spin Doctors with 28 points built on 23 attacks and five blocks, while JP Bugaoan added 16 points on nine attacks and seven blocks.
Louie Ramirez chipped in 13 points, while Rikko Marmeto impressed with 21-of-29 excellent receptions and 7-of-10 excellent digs.
Regardless of the result of the Criss Cross-Alpha Insurance match, the Spin Doctors are set to go all out against the Protectors on Sunday at 5 p.m., still at the San Juan venue.
On the other hand, the Cabstars remain in Finals contention despite dropping to 1-1. However, they must defeat Criss Cross on Sunday at 3 p.m. to keep their hopes alive.
Dela Noche led the Cabuyao-based squad with 18 points, while Jared Schnake was limited to 13 points on 13-of-41 attacking after erupting for 23 points in his previous outing.
