By: Joaquin Cortez

Alpha Insurance rediscovered its winning touch by turning a difficult stretch into a statement performance, sweeping AEP-Cabstars, 25-19, 25-22, 25-20, to snap its two-game losing skid and return to the winning column in the Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference on Wednesday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre.

After absorbing defeats at the hands of the NU-Archipelago Builders Bulldogs and Criss Cross King Crunchers, the Protectors responded with a more composed performance, leaning on Axel Book and Barbie San Andres, who combined for 27 points to improve their record to 2-2 and gain a share of fifth place.

Alpha Insurance head coach Mike Santos stressed that his team needed to approach every match with the same level of preparation and intensity, regardless of its opponent.

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“‘Di madali ‘yung tatlo naming nakalaban, so minindset ko lang rin ‘yung mga players na ‘yung Spikers’ Turf, wala talagang mahihinang team. Every time na maglalaro tayo, every time na pupunta tayo sa court, we have to do our best sa kung sinong makakatapat natin,” said Santos.

“I think nag-respond naman ang mga players tungkol doon sa maganda naman ‘yung pinakita nila,” he added.

Alpha Insurance maintained control for most of the opening set before Jetlee Gopio’s off-the-block hit and a successful joust helped the Protectors close out the frame, 25-19.

The Cabstars put up a stronger fight in the second set, with Leo Aringo’s crosscourt hit trimming the Protectors’ lead to two, 14-12. However, Alpha Insurance kept AEP-Cabstars at bay, as Gopio delivered a kill to put his team at set point, 24-21.

San Andres then sealed the set with a crosscourt hit, giving the Protectors a two-set advantage, 25-22.

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After Dave Lardizabal’s service ace tied the third set at 13-all, the Protectors responded with a 4-0 run, capped by Book’s own ace to establish a four-point cushion, 17-13.

Despite Bembem Bautista giving the Cabstars another lifeline with two late kills, Book eventually put the finishing touches on the sweep with a crosscourt hit to seal the one-hour-and-23-minute victory.

For San Andres, the key to the bounce-back performance was rediscovering the enjoyment of playing, rather than becoming too consumed by the pressure to win.

“Ang mindset lang po namin ng teammates ko and coaches is i-take po itong game na ito na light lang po kasi ‘yung mga past few games namin, sobrang eager po kami manalo doon po sa malalakas na teams na nakakalimutan namin mag-enjoy,” said San Andres, who finished with 12 points on 10 attacks and two aces.

Aside from Book and San Andres, Gopio chipped in 10 points, including six blocks, while EJ Casaña tallied 20 excellent sets and three points for the Protectors.

Alpha Insurance will have less than 24 hours to recover before facing the winless AFP Cavaliers on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 3:30 p.m. at the PhilSports Arena.

Meanwhile, Lardizabal paced the Cabstars with 16 points on 15 attacks. Aringo, who powered AEP-Cabstars to their breakthrough win over the Armed Forces of the Philippines last Sunday with 23 points, was limited to 11 as the team dropped to 1-3.

The Cabstars will look to snap their early-season skid when they face the undefeated King Crunchers on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 11 a.m. at the FilOil EcoOil Centre.

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ClearSkiiin survived a stunning fightback from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, regaining its footing in the deciding set to escape with a hard-earned five-set victory, 25-12, 25-14, 24-26, 14-25, 15-19, and preserve its unbeaten record in the 2026 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference on Tuesday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

After dominating the opening two sets, the UV Smashers suddenly found themselves on the back foot as the Cavaliers, powered by Ranran Abdilla and Herald Domingo, turned the tide in the next two frames to force a deciding set.

ClearSkiiin, however, found a timely boost with the return of starting setter Klint Mateo, who had rolled his left ankle after landing on Abdilla’s foot in the third set. Mateo returned in the decider and helped stabilize the offense, steering the UV Smashers toward the two-hour victory.

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“I mean, you said it right there. AFP’s got a ton of veterans, and much respect to them. We obviously had a plan going in, and what was kind of cool, I think, on their part is that they changed their plan going into sets three and four,” said UV Smashers head coach Joe Bangit.

“A lot of credit goes to them. They played super fast, they had a lot more of the chance points, I thought, and it took us off our game a little bit,” he added.

ClearSkiiin came out firing in the deciding set, racing to a 5-0 lead and immediately putting the Cavaliers on the defensive. Despite AFP’s attempts to mount another comeback, the UV Smashers kept their composure and protected their advantage.

KC Andrade scored off a quick attack from Renzel Antonio, while Pol Salvador was denied by a block to put ClearSkiiin at match point. Antonio, however, was stuffed on the ensuing play, allowing the Cavaliers to save one match point.

JM Ronquillo eventually put an end to AFP’s resistance with an emphatic block on Abdilla, sealing the hard-earned victory for the UV Smashers.

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Nas Gwaza led ClearSkiiin with 16 points on 10 attacks, five blocks, and one ace, while Antonio chipped in 14 points and 10 excellent receptions.

Jay Rack De La Noche added 12 points, Loisa Gamban contributed 11, while Angela Gayud and Ronquillo finished with nine markers apiece.

Kim Dayandante dished out 16 excellent sets off the bench, while Mateo recorded 12 excellent sets despite his injury. Bhim Diones anchored the floor defense with 16 excellent digs.

ClearSkiiin will look to extend its winning streak to six games when it takes on Far Eastern University-DN Steel on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.

Meanwhile, AFP remained winless, absorbing its fifth consecutive defeat to drop to 0-5 in the standings.

Abdilla paced the Cavaliers with 17 points, while Domingo added 13. Salvador and James Buytrago chipped in 11 points apiece.

AFP will look to snap its losing streak when it faces Alpha Insurance on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. at the Philsports Arena.

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Jamesray Ajido turned in an improved performance in the men’s 100-meter butterfly but fell short of a podium finish at the 4th Youth Olympic Games on Sunday.

The Filipino swimmer clocked 55.16 seconds in the final at the Complexe Tour de l’Œuf pool, shaving time off his morning qualifying mark to finish fifth among the eight finalists.

Despite the improvement, Ajido could not keep pace with a field of taller competitors, ending his bid for a medal in the event.

Egypt’s Ali Sain claimed the gold medal after touching the wall in 53.96 seconds, matching his time from the heats. Serbia’s Aleksej Kalan took silver in 54.61 seconds, while Slovakia’s Marias Kristof secured bronze in 54.66 seconds.

India’s Tirthank Pegun finished fourth in 54.98 seconds, just ahead of Ajido.

The lone Southeast Asian in the final, Ajido skipped the mixed-zone interviews following the race.

The decorated junior standout will have another opportunity to make his mark on Tuesday, when he competes in the men’s 50-meter freestyle and 50-meter butterfly events.

Meanwhile, fellow Philippine bet Riannah Coleman is set to begin her campaign in the women’s 200-meter breaststroke on Monday. She will compete in the second of two heats scheduled for 11:02 a.m. Senegal time.

Team Philippines has nine athletes competing in the Youth Olympic Games, with support from the Philippine Sports Commission.

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