When the league’s most explosive rivalry lit up the Filoil EcoOil Centre on Sunday night, Adrian Villados stood at the center of it all — calmly orchestrating a crisp and confident Criss Cross offense that toppled defending champion Cignal in four sets, 25-23, 24-26, 25-22, 25-18, to remain the lone unbeaten team in the 2025 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference.
Villados was steady throughout, delivering 34 excellent sets to keep the King Crunchers’ offense flowing and balanced. They shrugged off a stinging defeat in the extended second set and tightened their grip the rest of the way, improving to a league-best 3-0 record.
“Masaya kasi nanalo, pero siguro marami pa po kaming kulang. Pagtarabahuhan namin, lalo na ‘yung second set na ang dami naming mistakes,” said the Arellano University product after the team’s third-straight win in the tournament organized by Sports Vision.
“Masaya saka challenging kasi Cignal ‘yan. Masaya rin kasi nandiyan ‘yung mga kuya ko gina-guide ako kaya magaan maglaro sa loob ng court,” he added.
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Criss Cross didn’t have to dig too deep in the fourth set, though. Jared Schnake, Steven Rotter, and JP Bugaoan committed costly errors during a decisive 4-0 closing run that turned a tight 21-18 count into a 25-18 win — capped by Bugaoan’s attack error.
It wasn’t just the final frame where the King Crunchers capitalized. They exploited the Super Spikers’ mistakes throughout the match, as Cignal gave away 28 errors that proved too costly to overcome in the two-hour, six-minute encounter.
Jude Garcia led the Rebisco-backed squad with 24 points on 20 attacks, three kill blocks, and an ace.
Noel Kampton, despite struggling in the fourth set, still managed 16 points and 11 excellent receptions in his first Criss Cross–Cignal rivalry match. Meanwhile, Jaron Requinton added 14 points and five excellent digs.
John Pepito also made a big impact, recording 19 excellent receptions and seven excellent digs to anchor the King Crunchers’ floor defense.
Criss Cross will look to sustain its momentum against another contender, Savouge, on Wednesday at 4:00 PM at the Paco Arena.
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On the other hand, the Super Spikers slipped to 2-1. They are now tied with the Spin Doctors, Alpha Insurance, and University of Santo Tomas–Gameville for second to fifth place in the league, backed by Alpha Insurance, Premiere EMS, Buffalo’s Wings N’ Things, and Arena Plus.
Steven Rotter paced Cignal with 22 points on 18 attacks and four blocks. Louie Ramirez finished with 14 points and 10 excellent receptions, while Lloyd Josafat added 11 markers.
The Super Spikers also suffered a major blow late in the third set when Jau Umandal injured his right ankle after diving for a loose ball and crashing into the team’s bench.
Cignal will look to bounce back against the winless PGJC-Navy on Wednesday at 6:00 PM.
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.
