Great teams adjust under pressure, and Savouge did just that, pulling off a bold gamble to force an all-or-nothing Game 3 in the 2026 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference Finals.
Head coach Sydney Calderon turned to usual second-stringer JC Enarciso to orchestrate the offense in place of All-Star starter Vince Imperial, and the move paid off.
Enarciso delivered a masterclass, guiding the Spin Doctors to a 25-22, 25-21, 25-19 sweep of the King Crunchers in Game 2 to extend the best-of-three series to a deciding match on Friday evening at the Filoil Centre in San Juan.
The Perpetual Help product dished out 22 excellent sets, powering an attack that saw four Savouge hitters reach double figures, led by Mark Calado’s 15 points.
(C) Spikers’ Turf Images
“Siguro di ko naman inisip na do or die kasi nga alam namin na mananalo at mananalo kami kasi nga yung hirap namin sa training kahapon, doble, tsaka pinag-aralan talaga namin,” said Enarciso, emphasizing belief backed by preparation.
“Nagcompose lang kami every point, every rotation, every spike, every dig. Lahat ng skills ng volleyball nagcompose lang lahat kami,” he added.
Giles Torres, Louie Ramirez, and JP Bugaoan joined Calado in double-digit scoring with 10 points apiece, while Shawie Caritativo chipped in seven points along with 15 receptions and six digs.
For Enarciso, his standout performance also stemmed from a disappointing first meeting with Criss Cross, where he felt he let Calderon and Savouge down.
He started in the Spin Doctors’ first-round matchup against the King Crunchers, who swept the match, 25-23, 29-27, 25-17.
“Siguro bumawi lang ako nung elimination round 1 kasi ako yung ginamit against sa kanila. Lumamang kami, pero nagkulang kami sa huli. Yun yung kulang ko nung elimination,” said Enarciso.
“Kaya siguro bumawi ako sa kanila. Nag-compose ako and naka-focus ako kung saan nakakapatay saka doon yung swerte, doon ako pumupunta.”
With the series now level and everything on the line, Enarciso is determined not to let the opportunity slip away.
Game 3 is set on Sunday at 4 p.m. at the same San Juan venue, where Criss Cross will aim for back-to-back titles, while Savouge seeks its first-ever championship.
