Criss Cross took sole possession of the lead in the 2024 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference semifinals after a 25-20, 22-25, 25-12, 26-24 victory over rival Cignal at the Filoil EcoOil Centre on Sunday evening.
The King Crunchers snapped Cignal’s nine-game winning streak, extending their own run to eight.
They also avenged their only loss of the tournament – a 21-25, 21-25, 27-25, 25-18, 11-15 defeat to the HD Spikers during the preliminary round.
With the win, Criss Cross remains the only undefeated team in the round-robin semifinals, improving their record to 2-0 and sending Cignal to 2-1.
“Credits din talaga sa mga teammates ko kasi tinulungan nila ako, nagtulungan kami sa dulo kaya nakuha namin ito,” said King Cruncher Jude Garcia, who led the team with 25 points, including 21 spikes, two blocks, and two aces.
(C) Spikers Turf Images
Garcia played a crucial role in rallying Criss Cross to victory in the tense fourth set. Trailing 17-19, the 2024 Open Conference MVP scored five of the next seven points for the King Crunchers, putting them at match point, 24-23.
“Ang mindset ko lang talaga kapag pumunta sa akin ‘yung bola, papatayin ko talaga. Kasi ‘yung tiwala ng teammates ko sa akin 100 percent, so kailangan ko rin ibigay ‘yung 100 percent effort ko sa game,” Garcia added.
Cignal captain JP Bugaoan extended the set with a quick kill for 24-all, but Criss Cross found an unlikely hero on the next play.
Rookie libero Philip Pepito, after a fantastic save by Nico Almendras, sent a calculated lob over the net.
The ball traveled just above the top of the net before dropping for a match point at 25-24.
On the following play, HD Spiker Louie Ramirez’s hard-hit ball sailed out, ending the game after one hour and 56 minutes.
Captain Ysay Marasigan contributed 12 points and five digs, while Almendras had 11 points, 17 receptions, and seven digs. Ish Polvorosa orchestrated their offense with 19 excellent sets.
Criss Cross also capitalized on Cignal’s 32 errors, nine of which came in the critical fourth set.
(C) Spikers Turf Images
Ramirez led the way for the HD Spikers with 18 points and 16 excellent receptions, while middle blockers Bugaoan and Lloyd Josafat added 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Cignal now looks to secure a spot in the gold medal match on Wednesday against Japanese guest team Hyogo.
