Louie Ramirez caught fire in the fifth set, unloading 10 of his 23 points to save Cignal from the upset ax of Alpha Insurance, 20-25, 25-22, 21-25, 25-23, 15-11, for a 2-0 start in the Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference on Wednesday night at Paco Arena.
Limited to just three points when Cignal lost two of the first three sets, the former NCAA MVP out of University of Perpetual Help made the most of his time on the bench to reflect on how he could contribute more before erupting with 20 attacks and three kill blocks in the two-hour victory.
‘I really paid close attention when I was subbed out. I told myself that if I get sent back in for Set 4, I’ll do everything I can to help the team. And I really made up for it,’ said Ramirez in Filipino.
Down 3-6 in the fifth, the Alas Pilipinas World Championship campaigner took matters into his own hands, leading the Super Spikers to six unanswered points before sealing the match with the winner.
‘Thank you to my coaches for trusting me. Even though I had a bad start, they told me to keep going. I just said I’ll do my best so I won’t break the trust of my coaches and teammates,’ Ramirez said.
JP Bugaoan tallied 15 points off 11 attacks and four of the team’s 18 kill blocks, while JM Ronquillo and Josafat added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Alpha Insurance fell to 1-1 with Rocky Motol leading the way with 18 points on 13 attacks, four blocks, and an ace, along with 33 excellent receptions. Francis Casas and Barbie San Andres chipped in 17 and 16 points, respectively.
Meanwhile, Savouge and University of Santo Tomas-Gameville eked out big wins against separate foes before their Friday clash at 4 p.m. at the same venue.
After losing its opener to Alpha, Savouge found a revelation in Reymark Betco to take down V-League champion Far Eastern University-DN Steel, 25-22, 25-21, 23-25, 25-21.
Betco, who was placed on reserve in Savouge’s first game, unleashed 21 points to lift the Spin Doctors to a 1-1 record.
‘It’s a big thing for us to have Betco because he’s such a powerful addition. He actually wanted to play in our first game, but we had a busy week with a lot of matches. I told him, ‘I’ll use you against FEU,” said Savouge coach Sydney Calderon.
‘I told them our loss in the first game doesn’t define who we are. I said it’s better to make our comeback game count.’
Mark Calado added 15 points, while setter JM Paglaon, who also sat out the opener, dished out 29 excellent sets and two points. Shawie Caritativo had another all-around showing with 10 points, 20 excellent receptions, and eight digs. Giles Torres chipped in 10 points, while Rikko Marmetto anchored the floor defense with 17 receptions and eight digs.
Dryx Saavedra led the Tamaraws with 19 points, while Christian Paul Salboro and Lirick Mendoza added 13 apiece. FEU-DN Steel will try to bounce back against PGJC-Navy also on Friday at 2 p.m.
Another Alas Pilipinas standout shone as Josh Ybañez powered UST’s rousing 25-22, 25-17, 25-21 win over PGJC-Navy to open its campaign.
Two-time UAAP MVP Ybañez, who plays libero for Alas, showcased his offensive flair with 16 points built on 10 attacks, four aces, and two blocks, on top of 16 excellent receptions and four digs.
‘Good thing we didn’t have any opening-game jitters, but there are still a lot of things we need to polish. Of course, I’m happy because this win is a confidence booster,’ said UST coach Odjie Mamon.
‘We have a game this Friday against Savouge, and at least we’re coming into that game with a win, so the team’s morale is pretty high. My only concern is the short time to prepare, so tomorrow we’ll focus more on recovery exercises.’
Dux Yambao tallied 21 excellent sets and five points, while Al-Bukharie Sali and Trevor Valera contributed 10 and eight points, respectively.
Navy slipped to 0-2, with Greg Dolor scoring nine points. Bonjomar Castel had six, while Joeven Dela Vega made his comeback with two points after a long absence due to health concerns.