JP Bugaoan steadied the ship of Savouge after going off track with back-to-back losses in the 2026 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference.
Reeling from two straight defeats against the Criss Cross King Crunchers, the Spin Doctors bounced back with two character-building victories, with the 6-foot-3 middle blocker surprisingly leading them with high-scoring games.
For his scoring exploits that gave Savouge its ticket to the upcoming round-robin semifinals, Bugaoan was hailed as the unanimous Spikers’ Turf Press Corps Player of the Week presented by Pilipinas Live for the period of March 18 to 20.
But for the veteran middle that was new to the Spin Doctors camp, credit should go to the leaders who put him in a position to excel despite being in his first conference with the squad.
“Unang-una talaga, ‘yung guidance ng coaches namin and ‘yung senior players na lagi kaming ginaguide sa loob kung paano kami gagalaw, kung paano mag-jell kasi palapit na ang semis, kailangan naming mas intact at buo sa loob ng court,” said Bugaoan.
Bugaoan shone in Savouge’s dominant 25-8, 25-13, 25-13 win over 3B on Wednesday with 10 points before following it up with a much better and much more important performance on Friday.
Against Alpha Insurance, the four-time Spikers’ Turf Best Middle Blocker was crucial in the Spin Doctors’ 21-25, 20-25, 25-21, 25-14, 15-9 reverse sweep, unleashing a team-high 17 points on 12-of-23 spikes, four blocks, and an ace.
For head coach Sydney Calderon, Bugaoan’s fit to the team would be a huge factor in the success they are aiming for.
“Actually, sobrang hands down ako kay JP kasi kapag sinasabihan namin siya, talagang sumusunod siya at the same time ginaguide niya rin ang team. Super thankful ako na napunta siya sa amin at as you can see naman, nagja-jive na siya sa amin ngayon,” said Calderon.
Bugaoan outshone teammate Joeven Dela Vega, AEP-Cabstars duo of Jay Rack Dela Noche and Jared Schnake, and Criss Cross opposite hitter Jaron Requinton, for the weekly recognition, which is deliberated by print and online reporters covering the country’s premier men’s volleyball league organized by Sports Vision.
Savouge seeks to close out the preliminaries with two more wins against VNS Always Bright Laticrete and AEP-Cabstars to build utmost confidence heading into the round-robin semis, where records will be reset.
Matches will be streamed live and on demand via the Pilipinas Live app and on www.spikersturf.ph
