At just 16 years old, Howard Guerra is already showing the poise and playmaking instincts of a seasoned setter, orchestrating VNS-Laticrete’s offense with remarkable precision to guide the Griffins to back-to-back victories in the 2026 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference.
Guerra delivered a conference-best 37 excellent sets to steer VNS past 3B, 26-24, 25-13, 25-27, 25-17, on Wednesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre, following an 18-excellent-set performance in the Griffins’ first victory against the Armed Forces of the Philippines last October 27.
“Pinaghandaan po talaga namin ‘to kasi ‘yun nga po, kakagaling lang po namin sa panalo, and naghahabol po kami ng panalo. Gusto po naming kunin ‘yung mga natitirang game natin para makuha namin ‘yung panalo sa conference na ‘to,” said Guerra, who also contributed six points.
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With Guerra keeping the VNS offense humming through his precise distribution, the Griffins unleashed a balanced attack that kept 3B guessing throughout the one-hour, 44-minute contest, with five players finishing in double figures.
Team captain Noy Pedrosa led the charge with a game-high 18 points on 16-of-26 attacks, while Jau Umandal recorded a triple-double with 16 points, 11 excellent receptions, and 10 excellent digs to help the Griffins climb to fifth place with a 2-3 record in the tournament organized by Sports Vision.
CJ Segui added 13 points, while Djomari Gamotea and Andrie Bakil chipped in 12 and 10 points, respectively, completing VNS’ balanced offensive effort.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Patadon anchored the Griffins’ defense with 26 excellent receptions and 14 excellent digs.
“Happy naman ako sa performance namin. We thought na makukuha namin nung third set, pero mas naging consistent ‘yung kabilang team nung patapos so we need to learn from that situation,” said Griffins head coach Ralph Ocampo.
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Despite surrendering the extended third set, VNS maintained its offensive grip on the match, outclassing the Event Masters in the major scoring departments with a commanding 62-49 advantage in attacks, a 14-5 edge in blocks, and an 8-5 cushion in service aces.
With the Griffins beginning to find their rhythm, they will look to sustain their momentum against contender Savouge in a Sunday showdown at 5 p.m. at the same venue.
Meanwhile, 3B absorbed its second consecutive defeat to slide to a 1-3 record.
Ralph Cabalsa led the Event Masters with 17 points, while Harry Ocay posted 12 points and 16 excellent receptions. Carl Berdal added 11 points alongside 19 excellent receptions in the losing effort.
3B will look to snap its losing streak against Alpha Insurance, also on Sunday, at 3 p.m.
