In a heart-stopping upset, Savouge stunned the Spikers’ Turf field on Friday night, upsetting powerhouse Cignal in a five-set clash, 19-25, 27-25, 19-25, 25-23, 15-13, that shook the Ynares Sports Arena.
The Spin Doctors, a dark horse in the 2024 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference, refused to back down against the defending Open champions, delivering a statement win that thrust them into the title conversation and underscored their determination to dominate this conference.
“Before we started the game, may message ako sa team na parang moon and sun lang yun, we have our own each light and we’re just waiting to shine kung kailan. Kung si Cignal siya ‘yung sun, kami naman ‘yung moon so we have our own light and yun yung naging motivation,” shared Savouge head coach Sydney Calderon.
Despite Cignal’s strong response in the third set, where they cruised to a 25-19 victory, the Spin Doctors kept their sights on their goal to hand the 2024 Open champions an early loss.
Hero Austria, Sherwin Caritativo, and former Cignal middle blocker Giles Torres led the charge for Savouge, fighting through a tough fourth set and narrowly winning 25-23 to force a decider.
In the fifth set, Austria and Charlee Magpayo delivered when it mattered most. With the game tied at 13,
Austria sent a powerful spike off Lloyd Josafat’s hands to bring up match point, which Magpayo then secured with a clutch block on Martin Bugaoan’s attack, sealing the victory in two hours and 23 minutes.
A critical moment occurred in the fifth set, tied at 11, when Jau Umandal cramped up following a spike attempt, briefly stalling Cignal’s momentum.
“Team effort talaga. Tiwala lang sa sarili kasi kung walang tatalo sa Cignal, sino? Yun lang yung sinabi ko, chinallenge ko lang yung sarili namin,” added Calderon, who is also the team owner.
The remarkable victory extended the Spin Doctors’ unbeaten run to three games, securing their place at the top of the standings.
Caritativo came off the bench to lead Savouge with 19 points, converting 19 of 37 attack attempts, while Austria, who played just two full sets, added 10 points, including four critical ones in the fifth set.
It was a full team effort as all but one of Savouge’s position players contributed to the scoreboard.
Magpayo chipped in 10 points, while Torres and Lorenz Señoron scored eight and six points, respectively.
Savouge now has a lengthy break before they return to action on November 6 to face winless Chichi DHTSI at the Philsports Arena.
Umandal led the HD Spikers with 21 points, 12 excellent receptions, and four digs, while Mark Calado contributed 11 points.
Cignal (1-1) will aim to bounce back in their Wednesday matchup against Martelli Meats, also in Pasig.
