Imperial leadership keys Savouge surge

Savouge is in good hands with battle-hardened setter Vince Imperial steering the ship.

Behind the playmaker’s composed and consistent performance, the Spin Doctors finally got over the semifinals hump and reached a breakthrough championship appearance in the 2026 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference.

His heroics that guided Savouge in shaking the balance of power in the premier men’s club league earned Imperial the hands down choice as Spikers’ Turf Press Corps Player of the Week presented by Pilipinas Live for the period of 8 to 12 April.

Imperial dished out 25 excellent sets in a superb playmaking that saw six Spin Doctors in double figures for the franchise’s first-ever win over Criss Cross in a thrilling five-setter, 25-22, 19-25, 20-25, 25-23, 15-13, to start the round-robin semifinals on a high note.

He also finished with seven points to highlight his all-around contribution.

“Since Savouge joined the league, we haven’t beaten Criss Cross. I think it’s my sixth (tournament) and this is just the first time that we’ve won against them,” Imperial said after the Spin Doctors ended the Invitational champion’s 10-game unbeaten run.

“In the fifth set my mindset was to help the squad take it point by point. That to reach that 15 points and win we must play perfect volleyball,” he added.

Savouge showed no signs of slowing down as they extended their winning streak with a 25-27, 25-15, 25-19, 25-16 victory over AEP Cabstars spearheaded by Imperial’s 21 excellent sets and six points to seal the Spin Doctors’ entry to the championship round.

Despite already being through to the finals, the Savouge playmaker remained steady with 12 excellent sets and two points in a 25-20, 25-15, 26-24 sweep of Alpha Insurance as the club build momentum heading into its debut in the biggest stage.

“We’re on high morale right now since it’s our first time to sweep the semifinals. We feel that we’re brimming with confidence heading into the semifinals plus we’ve already beaten the defending champion,” Imperial said.

Imperial won the recognition, deliberated by print and online media covering the Sports Vision-organized league, unanimously as he edged out teammate Mark Calado, Criss Cross duo Jude Garcia and Adrian Villados, as well as Cabstars’ Jared Schnake.

Imperial vows to stay consistent when Savouge and Criss Cross kick off the best-of-three finals series on Wednesday at the same venue in San Juan City.

“My mindset heading into the finals is to play with consistency to be able to deliver to my teammates the right balls. It’s never easy to stay consistent in setting and that’s the challenge,” Imperial said.