Francis Saura has finally found his rhythm just in time as Criss Cross battles for positioning in a tight race for a spot in the 2024 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference semifinals.
Saura, 28, joined the King Crunchers in the off-season after a one-conference stint with D’Navigators Iloilo, where he won the 2024 Open Conference Best Opposite Spiker award and led the team to a bronze medal finish.
The former National University standout had a roller-coaster start with Criss Cross but appears to have finally found his footing in head coach Tai Bundit’s system during the team’s last two matches.
“Okay naman ‘yung adjustments ko sa team so far. Still adjusting pa rin, may mga lapses pa rin, pero in total parang nakaka-adjust naman ako sa sistema ng team namin,” said Saura.
After an underwhelming seven-point performance in their loss to rival Cignal on November 3, the two-time UAAP champion made a strong comeback in Criss Cross’s back-to-back victories over PGJC-Navy and Martelli Meats.
Saura scored 12 points, which included three kill blocks, to help the Rebisco-backed squad secure a bounce-back win against the Sealions last Friday before unloading 14 points against the Master Butchers last Wednesday.
The former Best Middle Blocker’s impressive showing allowed the King Crunchers to tie with the HD Spikers and Savouge from the third to fifth spots via identical 4-1 win-loss records.
Aware that the fight for a Final Four spot will only get tougher from here, Saura believes the team must brace for increasingly challenging battles ahead and strive to keep improving.
“Siguro masasabi ko lang, marami pa kaming kailangan i-polish pa. Syempre hindi naman natatapos ‘yung improvement eh, there’s always room for improvement ika nga,” said Saura.
“So ngayon, sa susunod naming mga laban, matitibay na ‘yung mga teams so mas papatibayin namin ‘yung opensa saka depensa namin, ‘yung tiwala sa sarili, sa mga coaches, at sa mga teammates namin. For sure, ‘yun din ‘yung makakapagpatibay din sa team namin.”
