Unheralded outside spiker Sherwin Caritativo delivered a breakout performance just when Savouge needed it most, leading his team to a thrilling victory over title favorites Cignal in the 2024 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference.
After limited playing time in Savouge’s first two games, Caritativo returned to the floor on Wednesday, putting on a stellar show that helped his team pull off a stunning five-set win against the reigning Open Conference champions, 19-25, 27-25, 19-25, 25-23, 15-13, at the Ynares Sports Arena.
Coming off the bench, the pride of Rosales, Pangasinan tallied a game-high 19 points—all from attacks—to power Savouge to a franchise-best 3-0 start in this tournament organized by Sports Vision.
“Lahat naman po kami is may kakayahang maging first six, pero kung sino ‘yung nag-shine sa training, sila muna ‘yung nasa first six. Pero kaming mga nasa bench, handa naman kaming tumulong kapag pinasok kami,” shared Caritativo.
“Nakaka-overwhelm po na nanalo kami ngayong gabing ‘to. Sabi nga ni madam, maraming Alas Pilipinas [players] sa Cignal pero ang pagtingin namin sa kanila is as a player lang din. Walang star player, player lang po. Same na players lang naman po kami,” he added.
(C) Spikers Turf Images
Caritativo had only scored a combined total of 12 points in Savouge’s earlier wins against Martelli Meats and VNS, but his standout effort against the HD Spikers earned him the Spikers’ Turf Press Corps Player of the Week honor, presented by Pilipinas Live for the period of October 16 to 27.
The 23-year-old was a unanimous choice for the award, beating out Criss Cross’ Jude Garcia and FEU-DN Steel’s Dryx Saavedra and Mikko Espartero, as decided by print and online media covering the league.
Caritativo, motivated by his family and friends, is committed to making the most of this opportunity in Spikers’ Turf, especially after missing his chance to compete in the NCAA. Initially, he had been on track to play for the University of Perpetual Help under then-Savouge head coach Sammy Acaylar, but unforeseen circumstances forced him to stop his studies, ending his college playing ambitions.
Now, Caritativo is making the most of his second chance to showcase his skills in the country’s premier men’s volleyball league, with matches streamed live and on-demand via the Pilipinas Live app and www.spikersturf.ph.
“Ito na ‘yung pangarap ko na makapaglaro sa [Spikers’ Turf], thank you sa mga coaches ko and kay madam [Sydney Calderon] na nagtiwala sa akin. Mindset ko lang po talaga is mag-focus sa laro. Walang pressure, malawak na pag-iisip,” he said.
