In a clash of unbeaten teams, Criss Cross delivered a stunning performance, toppling defending champion and rival Cignal in straight sets, 25-23, 25-21, 25-17, to complete a first-round sweep in the 2025 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference on Wednesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Ish Polvorosa masterfully orchestrated the King Crunchers’ well-balanced offense, steering them past the HD Spikers to close the opening round with a flawless 5-0 record in the tournament organized by Sports Vision.
The former league Best Setter dictated the tempo for Criss Cross while making his presence felt at the net, finishing with 18 excellent sets and four blocks in the one-hour, 21-minute showdown.
“I think we did well in the first round, but there are still things we need to improve on. May mga lapses pa na dapat ‘di na kami nagkakamali. I know we can work on those in training,” said Polvorosa.
(C) Spikers Turf Images
Criss Cross caught Cignal off guard, racing to a quick 2-0 lead before pulling away late in the third set to secure their fourth straight win in the Open Conference, which is supported by Arena Plus and Mikasa.
Clinging to a slim 18-16 advantage in the final frame, Jude Garcia and Nico Almendras came up with back-to-back blocks on Steven Rotter. Almendras then capitalized on a broken play to ignite a 6-0 run, further fueled by consecutive errors from Wendel Miguel and a service ace from Garcia.
The reigning Open Conference MVP, however, committed a service error on the next play, but Almendras made up for it with a game-winning block to seal the victory.
“We’ve learned from past conferences na hindi porket marami kaming panalo sa early games eh ‘yun na ‘yun. That’s not the goal. At the end of the day, kailangan pa rin naming maging steadfast. Our mindset should be one game at a time towards that championship,” Polvorosa added.
Garcia led all scorers with 19 points, delivering 16 attacks, two blocks, and an ace while also recording nine excellent receptions. Almendras and Jaron Requinto contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively, in the win.
Manuel Sumanguid anchored the floor defense with 19 excellent receptions and five digs, while middle blockers Kim Malabunga and Gian Glorioso chipped in seven and six points, respectively, as Criss Cross claimed its third win over Cignal in their last eight encounters.
Criss Cross looks to extend its winning streak to six games when they open the second round against Alpha Insurance on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
(C) Spikers Turf Images
Meanwhile, Cignal dropped to second place with a 4-1 record.
Wendel Miguel paced the HD Spikers with 15 points off 13 attacks and two blocks, while Rotter added 10 markers. Jau Umandal, however, was limited to just seven points and sat out the third set.
Cignal will aim to bounce back against VNS-Laticrete on Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
