Criss Cross eliminated the winless Martelli Meats from playoff contention with a dominant 25-9, 25-19, 25-16 victory, marking its second consecutive win in the 2024 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference at the Ynares Sports Arena.
The race for the semifinals just got even more exciting as the King Crunchers caused a logjam in the standings.
They have tied Cignal and Savouge for third to fifth place with identical 4-1 records. The tournament is organized by Sports Vision.
Francis Saura led the charge for Criss Cross, scoring 14 points in the team’s one-hour and seven-minute domination of the Master Butchers.
“Marami pa kaming kailangan i-polish pa. Hindi naman natatapos ‘yung improvement, there’s always room for improvement ika nga. So ngayon, sa susunod naming mga laban, matitibay na ‘yung mga teams. So mas papatibayin namin ‘yung opensa at depensa namin,” Saura said.
Jude Garcia contributed 10 points along with eight excellent receptions. Meanwhile, Chumason Njigha and Gian Glorioso combined for six blocks, finishing with nine and seven points, respectively.
Ish Polvorosa set up 16 excellent sets and added three points as Criss Cross continued to gain momentum in the Invitational Conference, powered by ArenaPlus, Mikasa, and Alpha Insurance & Surety Company.
Criss Cross will return to action on Sunday, facing league leaders FEU-DN Steel in a highly anticipated clash at 6:00 PM at the Ynares Sports Arena.
Meanwhile, Martelli Meats remained winless at 0-6, tied with Chichi DHTSI at the bottom of the standings.
Kenrod Umali led the Master Butchers with 11 points, while Angelo Reyes and Jerome Cordez contributed six and five points, respectively.
Martelli Meats will look for its first win against the Titans on Sunday at 2:00 PM.
