Savouge makes it happen in the semifinals, dealing Criss Cross its first loss of the 2026 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference. PVL Media BureauMANILA — Savouge flipped the script in the 2026 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference Semifinals.
The Spin Doctors logged a win echoing their intent to triumph it all, stunning erstwhile unbeaten Criss Cross in a thrilling five-set marathon, 25-22, 19-25, 20-25, 25-23, 15-13, in the round-robin semifinals on Wednesday at the FilOil Centre in San Juan.
They moved to a win away from a Finals berth, booking a virtual duel with AEP-Cabstars on Friday for the first championship round seat.
“Very emotional siya for me kasi finally, after how many seasons na almost there kami lagi, finally eto na. Na-break na namin ‘yung sumpa kumbaga,” said head coach Sydney Calderon.
“Sabi ko sa kanila, forget about the eliminations kasi kapag nasa semifinals na nandoon na ‘yung totoong laban and we’re only given one chance sa semifinals na makalaban namin sila, so bigay na lahat,” Calderon added.
It was a hard-earned victory, wrestling the dominant Criss Cross which intimidated the league — at least until the end of the eliminations.
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Down two sets to one and staring at another defeat, the Spin Doctors found their spine in Set 4.
No longer chasing, the Spin Doctors dictated pace and tone, repeatedly pushing Criss Cross onto the back foot. The set became a tug-of-war defined by seven deadlocks; however amid the chaos, Savouge found its way past the defiant King Crunchers.
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Mark Calado and JP Bugaoan combined for a pivotal block on Alche Gupiteo, carving out a slim but crucial 9-7 cushion – a lead that felt far larger in a race to 15.
While Criss Cross was still within one, 14-13, they found the Calado kill — perfectly set up by Vince Imperial — to deal Criss Cross its first loss of the tournament.
Imperial had 25 excellent sets and seven points, while also fueling a balanced offensive effort that produced six double-digit scorers.
Calado top-scored with 14 points, while Torres finished with 13 points in the two-hour, five-minute win. Shawie Caritativo and Louie Ramirez, who came off the bench in the fifth, tallied 12 points apiece.
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JP Bugaoan recorded six of the team’s 14 kill blocks to finish with 11 points. Joeven Dela Vega added 10 points to round out the Spin Doctors’ double-digit scorers, while Rikko Marmeto anchored the defense with 32 excellent receptions and seven digs.
Meanwhile, Jude Garcia exploded for 29 points as the King Crunchers, who had looked invincible after sweeping the elimination round, finally showed cracks in their armor in a rare setback.
Gupiteo scored 18 points, while Noel Kampton finished with 16 points and 21 excellent receptions.