Savouge is in good hands with battle-hardened setter Vince Imperial steering the ship.
Behind the playmaker’s composed and consistent performance, the Spin Doctors finally got over the semifinals hump and reached a breakthrough championship appearance in the 2026 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference.
His heroics that guided Savouge in shaking the balance of power in the premier men’s club league earned Imperial the hands-down choice as Spikers’ Turf Press Corps Player of the Week presented by Pilipinas Live for the period of April 8 to 12.
Imperial dished out 25 excellent sets in a superb playmaking that saw six Spin Doctors in double figures for the franchise’s first-ever win over Criss Cross in a thrilling five-setter, 25-22, 19-25, 20-25, 25-23, 15-13, to start the round-robin semifinals on a high note.
He also finished with seven points to highlight his all-around contribution.
“Simula noong pumasok ako sa Savouge, hindi pa namin natatalo yung Criss Cross. Siguro anim na [tournament] ko na. Hindi pa rin namin natatalo. Ngayon lang namin natalo kaya sobrang saya,” Imperial said after the Spin Doctors ended the Invitational champion’s 10-game unbeaten run.
“Nu’ng fifth set ‘yung nasa isip ko nu’n, kailangan ‘yung maraming puntos, one is to one na lang, ‘yan din sabi ko sa mga ka-team ko, na ‘yung 15 points na ‘yun, bawal na tayo magkamali nu’n para manalo tayo,” he added.
Savouge showed no signs of slowing down as they extended their winning streak with a 25-27, 25-15, 25-19, 25-16 victory over AEP Cabstars, spearheaded by Imperial’s 21 excellent sets and six points to seal the Spin Doctors’ entry to the championship round.
Despite already being through to the finals, the Savouge playmaker remained steady with 12 excellent sets and two points in a 25-20, 25-15, 26-24 sweep of Alpha Insurance as the club builds momentum heading into its debut on the biggest stage.
“Sobrang taas ng morale namin kasi first time namin ma-sweep ‘yung semifinals. ‘’Yung feeling namin sobrang taas na ng morale namin pagdating sa finals kasi wala kaming talo tapos tinalo pa namin ’yung defending champion,” Imperial said.
Imperial won the recognition, as deliberated by print and online media covering the Sports Vision-organized league, unanimously, as he edged out teammate Mark Calado, the Criss Cross duo of Jude Garcia and Adrian Villados, as well as Cabstars’ Jared Schnake.
Imperial vows to stay consistent when Savouge and Criss Cross kick off the best-of-three finals series on Wednesday at the same venue in San Juan City.
“Siguro ‘yung mindset ko na lang doon is ‘yung consistency siguro para ma-deliver ko sa mga kakampi ko ‘yung tamang bola. Kasi minsan mahirap din talaga maging consistent pagdating sa setting,” said Imperial.
Game 2 is set on Friday, and if necessary, the winner-take-all match will be played on Sunday, wrapping up another intense conference streamed live and on demand via the Pilipinas Live app and on www.spikersturf.ph.
