League-leading Criss Cross denied Alpha Insurance’s final bid for a semifinal spot with a four-set victory, 21-25, 25-23, 25-18, 25-20, completing a flawless sweep of the 2025 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference elimination round on Sunday at the Paco Arena.
The King Crunchers overcame the absence of Alas Pilipinas stars Marck Espejo, Kim Malabunga, and Eco Adajar — currently in Taiwan preparing for the 33rd Southeast Asian Games — to finish the preliminaries with an unblemished 7-0 record.
Desperate for a win to secure a top-four spot, the Protectors came out firing, dominating the opening set and carrying their momentum into the second.
However, they fell short against a relentless Criss Cross squad.
(C) Spikers Turf Images
From there, the King Crunchers steadily took control. They pulled away in the third and fourth sets to seal the victory after nearly two hours of action and cap off their dominant elimination-round run.
Jude Garcia led the offense with 24 points on 18 attacks, two aces, and two kill blocks, along with eight excellent digs. Meanwhile, Noel Kampton added 16 points on 13 attacks and three kill blocks.
“Sobrang saya kasi nakuha namin ‘yung panalo today,” said the three-time league MVP. “‘Di mo rin kasi talaga masabi ‘yung game kanina kasi gustong lumaban talaga ng Alpha. Pero talagang napakita ng team kung paano kami kumapit.”
“Nag-compose lang kami talaga tapos kung anong goal namin this season, talagang gusto naming makamit.”
Poy Colinares contributed eight points, while Nico Almendras made the most of his limited time with seven points and 10 excellent receptions. Rex Intal also added six markers.
Adrian Villados showcased his all-around game with 24 excellent sets, five points on four blocks and one attack, and six excellent digs for Criss Cross, who remained unbeaten in the tournament organized by Sports Vision and supported by Alpha Insurance, Premiere EMS, Buffalo’s Wings N’ Things, and Arena Plus.
(C) Spikers Turf Images
Alpha Insurance appeared poised to claim its first-ever semifinal berth after a strong start. However, it dropped the next three sets, settling for fifth place with a 3-4 record.
The Protectors’ tough loss cleared the way for both Savouge Aesthetics and University of Santo Tomas-Gameville to secure their tickets to the round-robin semifinals.
Barbie San Andres and Rocky Motol finished with 14 points each for Alpha Insurance, while Vince Himzon and JJ Javelona added 10 markers apiece.
Games are aired live on One Sports and One Sports+, with video-on-demand access available via the Pilipinas Live app. Matches are also streamed on spikersturf.ph.
