Semis-bound Alpha Insurance roared back into form, snapping a two-game skid with a commanding straight-sets victory over winless VNS Always Bright Laticrete, 25-21, 25-12, 25-15, to close out the elimination round of the 2026 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference on Friday at Paco Arena.
The Protectors climbed to third place with a 5-5 record and 16 points, intensifying the battle for semifinal positioning.
They now await the 5 p.m. clash between fellow semifinalists Savouge and AEP-Cabstars, which will decide the final seedings.
“I think napaka importante nito para at least, high morale ‘yung mga players. Ang kagandahan, round-robin ‘yung semis so malaki pa rin ang tsansa,” said Alpha Insurance head coach Mike Santos.
“During the huddle kanina, sinabi ko naman sa kanila na galing kami sa talo, so pilitin naming makuha ‘yung panalo para maganda ‘yung momentum namin papuntang semis, which is nag-respond naman sila nang tama,” he added.
Cian Silang led the way in the Protectors’ dominant one-hour-and-six-minute triumph, delivering 22 excellent sets and three points to anchor Alpha Insurance’s momentum heading into the round-robin semifinals of this tournament organized by Sports Vision and backed by Alpha Insurance, Black Mamba, Premiere EMS, and ArenaPlus.
Nathaniel Del Pilar had his best outing of the conference, tallying 13 points on an efficient 10-of-15 attack while adding two kill blocks and an ace.
Ranz Cajolo made the most of his spot start, contributing 12 points, including three of the team’s seven kill blocks, while Jau Umandal chipped in 11 points off the bench to sustain the Protectors’ balanced offense.
For VNS Always Bright Laticrete, even the return of ace spiker CJ Segui—who rejoined the squad in their previous loss to Criss Cross—was not enough to prevent a winless campaign, though he finished with a team-high 10 points and nine excellent receptions.
Jun Frank Edang also made a notable contribution with eight points in a supporting role.
