Alpha Insurance sweep of AEP-Cabstars ended a two-game losing skid and put the Protectors back in the win column of the Spikers' Turf Invitational Conference. The 25-19, 25-22, 25-20 result at the FilOil EcoOil Centre on Wednesday moved Alpha Insurance to 2-2 and a share of fifth place.
Alpha Insurance sweep ends the skid
The Protectors controlled most of the opening set before Jetlee Gopio's off-the-block hit and a successful joust closed it out, 25-19.
AEP-Cabstars pushed harder in the second, with Leo Aringo's crosscourt hit trimming the lead to 14-12. Gopio delivered a kill for set point at 24-21, and Barbie San Andres sealed the frame with a crosscourt hit, 25-22.
Dave Lardizabal's service ace tied the third set at 13-all, but Alpha Insurance answered with a 4-0 run capped by Axel Book's own ace for a 17-13 cushion. Bembem Bautista kept the Cabstars alive with two late kills before Book finished the sweep with a crosscourt hit. The match lasted one hour and 23 minutes.
Axel Book and Barbie San Andres carry the load
Book and San Andres combined for 27 points in the Alpha Insurance sweep. San Andres finished with 12 points on 10 attacks and two aces, while Gopio chipped in 10 points including six blocks and EJ Casaña tallied 20 excellent sets and three points.
Head coach Mike Santos said the preparation had to be identical no matter the opponent. "It wasn't easy, the three teams we faced, so I just set the mindset with the players that in the Spikers' Turf, there really are no weak teams," he said. "Every time we play, every time we step on the court, we have to do our best against whoever we face."
"I think the players responded well to that, they showed something good," Santos added.
San Andres said the fix was mostly mental after losses to the NU-Archipelago Builders Bulldogs and the Criss Cross King Crunchers. "Our mindset, my teammates and coaches, is to take this game light because in our past few games we were so eager to win against the strong teams that we forgot to enjoy," he said.
AEP-Cabstars slip to 1-3
Lardizabal paced AEP-Cabstars with 16 points on 15 attacks. Aringo, who scored 23 points in the team's breakthrough win over the Armed Forces of the Philippines last Sunday, was limited to 11 as the Cabstars dropped to 1-3.
Analysis: why the bounce-back matters
This section is analysis. Alpha Insurance's recent schedule offered little comfort, and the difference here was margin rather than volume. The Protectors never let AEP-Cabstars build a run long enough to make a set feel open, and the 4-0 answer after Lardizabal tied the third at 13-all is the clearest evidence of that composure.
What's next for both teams
Alpha Insurance has 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. AEP-Cabstars will look to snap their skid against the undefeated King Crunchers on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 11 a.m. at the FilOil EcoOil Centre.
The original report was published by tiebreakertimes.com.ph.
