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.

(C) Spikers Turf images

“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.

(C) Spikers Turf images

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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Hometown bets Marama Tokong and Jayuard Alciso gave the home crowd something to cheer about but saw their campaigns come to an end in the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour Philippines Pro at Cloud 9 on Monday morning.

Tokong bowed to Australian world No. 7 Ethan Ewing, while Alciso fell to familiar rival Kanoa Igarashi of Japan.

Fresh off a memorable victory in his previous heat, Tokong, the Siargao native known as the “King of Cloud 9,” looked to sustain his momentum but faced a tough challenge against Ewing.

Tokong scored 11.54 points, falling short of Ewing’s 14.50 as the Australian advanced to the next round of the prestigious event presented by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), with the support of Surigao del Norte Governor Robert Lyndon Barbers, General Luna Mayor Johnson Sajulga, and Vice Mayor Romina Sajulga.

Despite the loss, Tokong cherished the experience of competing against one of the surfers he had idolized for years.

The Filipino admitted that he felt surprisingly comfortable sharing the lineup with Ewing, whom he considers one of his idols. He was also delighted to discover the Australian’s friendly personality outside competition.

“I got my hand. I was so comfortable, like when I was starting against this guy. He’s one of my idols. And I can’t believe he’s kind of like a friend. He’s very nice, and he knows what he’s doing,” said Tokong.

Beyond the competition, the event also gave Tokong an opportunity to reflect on how far Siargao has come, with surfing helping put the island on the map and attract visitors from around the world.

As the island continues to draw tourists, Tokong hopes the strong sense of community and cooperation among residents and local businesses will endure.

“This island is so beautiful. Before, back then, all the travelers here, I was a surfer, and now there are so many people who know this place because of the waves, the island and especially the community here in Siargao. It’s so special, and this is why I love our island because the community is so good. The business community here on the island is really like we’re helping each other, and this is how important it is for me. I just wish that we’re going to keep going like this,” added Tokong.

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Alciso, meanwhile, nearly mounted a late comeback against Igarashi but ran out of time to turn the tide. The Asian Games bronze medalist managed just 4.17 points on his final wave as the 30-minute heat came to a close, leaving him well short of Igarashi’s 12.90.

Igarashi built his winning total with a 6.67 on his third wave and a 6.23 on his fourth, keeping Alciso at bay to secure his place in the next round.

The Asian Games gold medalist had nothing but praise for Alciso, whom he faced at last month’s Asian Games, describing the Filipino as a surfer with tremendous potential.

“He’s such an amazing surfer. I was competing with him in the Asian Games last month and he’s such an amazing talent and he had such a good heat yesterday,” said Igarashi.

The event is also supported by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), and NEA/SIARELCO.

Surfers who fail to advance are guaranteed US$13,000 (approximately P830,000), while the eventual champion will take home US$80,000 (approximately P5.1 million).

Fans can catch the competition live on the One Sports YouTube channel and Cignal Play.

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