Adrian Villados made Criss Cross a tough puzzle to solve as they rolled past Alpha Insurance in straight sets, 25-19, 25-20, 25-20, to remain unbeaten in the 2026 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference on Friday at the Filoil Playtime Centre in San Juan.
The 2025 Invitational Finals MVP distributed 16 excellent sets and added two points, while four King Crunchers finished with double-digit scores, leaving the Protectors guessing who to cover.
“So far sa performance namin ngayon, maayos naman pero may kaunting mistakes pa pero pagtatrabahuhan namin yun,” said Villados after Criss Cross improved to 2-0 in the league organized by Sports Vision and supported by Alpha Insurance, Black Mamba, Premiere EMS, and ArenaPlus.
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New Alpha Insurance spiker Jau Umandal tried to spark a comeback in the third set, going on a personal 3-1 run that brought his team within one at 19-20.
However, a costly service error by Umandal halted their momentum. Poy Colinares and Jaron Requinton followed up with decisive hits, and additional errors by the Protectors sealed the sweep for the King Crunchers in just 74 minutes.
Alche Gupiteo and Noel Kampton led Criss Cross with 12 points each, recording 15 and six excellent receptions, respectively. Newly added middle blocker Lloyd Josafat also made an impact with 11 points, including four of the team’s eight blocks, while four-time league MVP Jude Garcia contributed 11 points in the quick victory that saw Criss Cross commit just 13 errors.
“Maganda ‘yung ipinapakitang performance ni Josafat at Gupiteo and dahil doon, mas maganda ‘yung nagiging ball distribution ko sa mga spikers ko,” Villados said.
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For the Protectors, Umandal led with 12 points and eight excellent receptions, while JM Ronquillo added 10 points in the loss that evened their record to 1-1.
Criss Cross will aim for a third straight win when they face AEP Cabstars on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the same venue. Meanwhile, Alpha Insurance will look to regain its winning form later in the day at 5 p.m. against Savouge.
