Marck Espejo made his highly anticipated comeback as Criss Cross dominated Savouge in straight sets, 25-22, 25-18, 25-18, to kick off the 2025 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference round-robin semifinals on Sunday at the Ynares Sports Arena.
Espejo, fresh from his stint with the Kubota Spears in Japan’s V.League, saw limited action in his return.
Jude Garcia and Nico Almendras took the lead for the King Crunchers en route to their 11th consecutive win in the tournament organized by Sports Vision.
Garcia, the reigning Open Conference MVP, spearheaded Criss Cross’ balanced offensive attack with 12 points. Almendras followed closely with 11 points, delivering nine attacks, one ace, and one block, along with 16 excellent receptions.
(C) Spikers Turf Images
“Talagang nag-focus kami sa depensa kasi kitang kita na ‘yung Savouge, nagpe-prepare sila sa amin. Kaya talagang tinrabaho namin every point talaga kaya nakuha ‘yung [panalo],” said Garcia after the match.
Kim Malabunga and Jaron Requinton contributed eight points each, while Gian Glorioso added seven for the King Crunchers in the one-hour, 19-minute contest.
Ish Polvorosa orchestrated the offense with 17 excellent sets, while Manuel Sumanguid anchored the floor defense with eight excellent digs and 10 excellent receptions.
Meanwhile, Espejo — who last played for Criss Cross in Game 2 of the 2024 Open Conference on May 10 — registered five points in his first game back in the tournament, which is supported by ArenaPlus and Mikasa.
“Sobrang laking bagay ‘to para sa amin. Syempre nandiyan na si kuya Marck. Pero hindi pa rin dapat mag-relax ‘yung team. Dapat naka-focus pa rin kami,” Garcia added.
Criss Cross aims to extend its unbeaten streak when it faces VNS-Laticrete on Wednesday at 3:30 PM at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
(C) Spikers Turf Images
On the other hand, Savouge struggled to match its elimination-round performance, where it pushed the King Crunchers to five sets twice.
Mark Calado and Sherwin Caritativo led the Spin Doctors with 14 and 10 points, respectively, in the tough loss.
Savouge will look to rebound when it faces defending champion Cignal on Wednesday at 6:00 PM.
