Mark Calado made an immediate impact in his debut as Savouge kicked off its 2025 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference campaign with a dominant 25-23, 25-20, 25-13 sweep of an undermanned PGJC-Navy on Friday afternoon at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
Calado, a former Cignal HD Spiker, led his new squad with a game-high 15 points.
The Spin Doctors weathered a tightly contested opening set before shifting into high gear to clinch a commanding victory in the tournament organized by Sports Vision.
(C) Spikers Turf Images
“Super happy ako kasi, of course, lahat ng coaches gusto nating makita ‘yung mga players natin na maging successful talaga. ‘Yung expectation ko sa kanya, hindi ko nilakihan kasi ayoko siyang masyadong ma-pressure,” said Savouge head coach Sydney Calderon.
Sherwin Caritativo provided solid support for Calado, finishing with 12 points on eight attacks, two kill blocks, and two aces.
Deanne De Pedro added eight markers in Savouge’s impressive opening-game win, with the league backed by Arena Plus and Mikasa.
Savouge dominated both at the net and from the service line, tallying 13 kill blocks and six aces. In contrast, the Sealions managed just seven blocks and failed to register a single ace in the one-hour, 22-minute match.
“Itong first game namin, wala pa kaming final six talaga. Nag-try lang kami ng lineups, tinignan kung kamusta ‘yung chemistry, and so far maganda naman ‘yung naging result. Medyo nangangapa lang kami nung first two sets,” Calderon added.
The Spin Doctors will look to build on their strong start as they take on defending champion Cignal on Sunday at 3:30 PM at the same venue.
(C) Spikers Turf Images
Meanwhile, Navy played shorthanded with only 11 players available, as Joeven Dela Vega, Marvin Villanueva, and Kevin Liberato were absent.
No Sealion reached double digits in scoring, with team captain Greg Dolor leading the way with nine points.
Herald Domingo contributed six, while Omar Lioc and John Ashley Jabo added five apiece in the loss.
Navy will aim to bounce back when they face VNS-Laticrete on Sunday at 1:00 PM.
