Savouge rips NU, wins 5th straight

Savouge stunned National University (NU)-Archipelago Builders, 25-18, 25-23, 25-20, for a fifth straight win and a share of the crowded second place in the Spikers’ Turf Season 10 Invitational Conference on Sunday at the Playtime EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

The streaking Spin Doctors improved to a 5-2 win-loss record and joined their victim, Far Eastern University-DN Steel and Alpha Insurance inside the crowded top four as the semifinals race tightens.

Despite the logjam, Savouge holds the upper hand among the four tied teams, collecting 17 points in the six-team semifinals race.

“We prepared for this game, proper mindset as well for the players, so to be honest before we went inside the court, we meditated to make sure everyone was calm,” head coach Sydney Calderon said.

The Spin Doctors’ offensive firepower proved too much to handle, even for the league’s best blocking team. Savouge hammered down 50 kills on 98 attempts to keep NU at bay in the 78-minute victory.

The Bulldogs entered the match boasting the league’s best blocking averages, with 14.33 blocks per game and 3.91 per set. They were also coming off a 20-block performance against AEP-Cabstars, their best defensive showing in the tournament organized by Sports Vision.

However, Savouge neutralized NU’s biggest strength, limiting the Bulldogs to just five blocks as the Spin Doctors repeatedly found openings through the attacking prowess of Jared Schnake and Joeven dela Vega, who finished with 15 points apiece.

Mark Calado added a double-double of 13 points and 12 excellent receptions, while middle blockers and brothers JP and Martin Bugaoan chipped in seven and five points, respectively.

NU struggled to find its footing from the opening serve, failing to establish an offensive rhythm as Savouge dictated the pace throughout the match. The defeat also snapped the Bulldogs’ two-game winning streak.