Savouge’s long wait to reach the big stage finally ended — but the ending wasn’t the fairytale finish they had hoped for.
After years of building and rebuilding since joining the Spikers’ Turf in 2024, the Spin Doctors broke through to the Open Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history. It was a milestone that validated their steady climb in the country’s premier men’s volleyball league, turning past near-misses into a genuine shot at the title.
But the dream hit a hard stop at the final hurdle.
Savouge fell to Criss Cross in a tense three-game championship series, coming up short in their maiden Finals appearance and settling for a runner-up finish that stung even as it signaled progress.
For head coach Sydney Calderon, however, the result is less a conclusion and more a starting point.
“Expect Savouge na magiging challenger talaga sa lahat ng team,” Calderon said after the Game 3 defeat last Sunday at the Filoil Centre.
She emphasized that the identity of the program was never built on shortcuts to success, but on a commitment to complete volleyball on both ends of the floor.
“Magiging maganda lagi yung laro kasi yun naman talaga yung purpose kung bakit ko itinayo yung team — to deliver quality volleyball, not only for power but also floor defense and everything,” she added.
The silver medal may have ended Savouge’s campaign in disappointment, but it also placed them in rare company — teams that had to experience the climb before learning how to win it all.
Calderon pointed to Criss Cross as the clearest example of that journey. The King Crunchers once endured three straight Finals defeats to Cignal before finally breaking through to claim their first championship last December in the Invitational Conference.
“First experience sa silver, not bad. Sinabi ko din naman, naging positive ako kasi for Criss Cross, it took [three] silvers bago sila nakapag-champion,” she said.
That narrative now becomes Savouge’s blueprint.
While the loss denied them an immediate breakthrough, the experience of playing on championship stage — and surviving the pressure that comes with it — is something the team can carry into the next season.
For Calderon, the emotion after Game 3 wasn’t disappointment, but perspective.
“Talagang it takes time, may process talaga. Magiging positive lang ako sa team kasi kahit first time namin lumaban sa championship, maganda rin naman talaga yung pinakita ng team ko,” she said.
“Happy pa rin ako for the team. Kita niyo naman kanina, hindi ako nasad. Na-feel ko na kung ano yung totoong championship na laban. Hopefully, pag nakapasok kami next season, mas gagalingan namin.”
Savouge may have fallen short of the crown, but in finally reaching the Finals, they’ve stepped into a new level of expectation — one where simply contending is no longer the goal.
