Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Tiebreaker Times
(C) Spikers Turf Images

News

Criss Cross rallies after Malabunga injury, dominates VNS in ST Invitationals debut


Criss Cross secured a morale-boosting victory against VNS, winning decisively, 25-14, 25-15, 25-15, during its debut in the 2024 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference on Wednesday at the Ynares Sports Arena.

The match took an unexpected turn when Kim Malabunga suffered a freak accident during the official warm-up, landing awkwardly on a ball, resulting in a dislocated right ankle and a sprained left ankle.

Despite this setback, the King Crunchers remained focused and dominated the Griffins throughout the match.

“Siguro, ang pinag-usapan namin ay hindi kami magpapa-apekto sa nangyari kasi unang una, parte ng laro ‘yun. Ang ginawa namin ay nag-focus kami sa kung ano ‘yung ina-analyze namin,” said Jude Garcia, who led the team with impressive scoring.

Criss Cross exhibited total dominance, dispatching the young VNS team in just one hour and seven minutes, with Open Conference MVP Garcia contributing 18 points – 16 from attacks and 2 from blocks.

New additions Francis Saura and Nico Almendras also made strong debuts for the King Crunchers, contributing 13 and 8 points, respectively.

Almendras also added seven excellent receptions.

Middle blockers Chu Njigha and Gian Glorioso stepped up in Malabunga’s absence, each scoring six points in the contest.

“Maganda, sobrang nakaka-overwhelm kasi lahat ng bagong members ng team namin nag-contribute. Malaking factor talaga ‘yung addition nila sa amin,” Garcia added.

Criss Cross converted 47 attacks out of 88 attempts, while VNS managed only 27 kills and four kill blocks.

The King Crunchers will next face the D’Navigators on October 27, Sunday, at 6:00 PM at the same venue.

On the other side, Charles Segui led VNS with eight points, plus six excellent digs and five excellent receptions. Howard Guerra and Kenneth Daynata each contributed six points in the loss.

#ReadMore  Creamline's Rondina-Pons, Garcia-Arbasto complete BVR bubble title sweep

VNS will look to bounce back when they take on Martelli Meats on Sunday at 4:00 PM, also at Ynares.

Written By


You May Also Like

News

Owa Retamar and Nico Almendras once again found themselves back in the Invitational Conference final—the same tournament they last won for National University in...

News

By: Christian David Ruiz Louie Ramirez will now carry an extra sense of pride every time he steps onto the Spikers’ Turf. The 24-year-old...

News

By: Christian David Ruiz Jude Garcia clinched his second consecutive MVP of the Conference award in the Spikers’ Turf, but for the second straight...

News

By: Czarina Agaton Cignal faced daunting odds heading into the championship game of the 2024 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference. Standing in the HD Spikers...

Basketball

Cignal completed its redemption after taking down rival Criss Cross in straight sets, 25-19, 25-19, 26-24, to clinch its first Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference...

FEU

By: Christian David Ruiz In its second conference at the Spikers’ Turf, Savouge made the podium, overcoming a second-set setback against FEU-DN Steel with...

News

Criss Cross’ second-stringers got the start against Hyogo and did not disappoint, disposing of the Japanese guest team, 25-18, 25-17, 25-17 to complete the...

FEU

Savouge gained critical momentum in its quest for a breakthrough podium finish in the Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference, sweeping the same team it will...

Advertisement