The redemption tour of head coach Sammy Acaylar officially began on Friday night.
Exactly three months after the decorated tactician’s uneventful stint with Gerflor in the Premier Volleyball League, Acaylar steered the retooled Savouge Aesthetics to a rousing debut win over VNS-Nasty in the 2024 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference.
“At least hindi ko naramdaman sa kanila yung opening jitters eh. Sinasabi ko sa kanila na hangga’t maaari, walang opening jitters,” said Acaylar, who feels determined to move on from his winless campaign with the Defenders in the Second All-Filipino Conference.
“Kumbaga, unang laro talagang ibigay ang pinakamagandang game nila sa Spikers’ Turf,” he added.
The multi-titled volleyball coach said that he felt very disappointed with how his stint with Gerflor closed, especially since the team ended up winless after 11 games in the elimination round.
It was a rough period for Acaylar and the team, which came under investigation by the PVL in the middle of the season due to salary issues.
Acaylar bared that the painful campaign served as an eye-opener for him as he believes that he still has a lot to improve despite having an already decorated coaching career.
“Sobrang na-disappoint ako kasi siyempre, kilala akong coach tapos wala ‘man lang panalo yung team ko sa Gerflor. But I have to accept that. Ibig sabihin, marami pa akong kulang as a coach,” said Acaylar.
Now with a new opportunity with the Spin Doctors, Acaylar is determined to prove his worth and bounce back.
“Hindi ko sinisisi sa mga players ko or management, sinisi ko sa sarili ko. Maaring may kulang ako kaya nung na-absorb ako ng Savouge, pakikita ko ulit na I’m coach Sam,” he added.
