Criss Cross remained spotless after toppling another title contender, Savouge, in straight sets, 25-23, 25-18, 25-22, in the 2025 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference on Wednesday at the Paco Arena.
The new dynamic duo of Jude Garcia and Noel Kampton once again powered the King Crunchers. The three-time league MVP led all scorers with 13 points, while the rookie from De La Salle University backed him up with 12 points built on seven attacks, three aces, and one block, on top of six excellent receptions and five digs.
“Siyempre nakaka-pressure ‘to, unbeaten team tapos lahat ng teams and mga players and lahat ng manonood babantayan kami. Mage-expect sila,” said Kampton after the Rebisco-backed squad improved to a perfect 5-0 record in the tournament organized by Sports Vision.
“But for me, sige lang, nandyan lang ‘yung standings eh. Pero ang importante one game at a time talaga. Kalimutan muna natin na 5-0. Ang importante pumunta kami sa game para manalo kami,” he added.
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Kampton was instrumental in closing out the Spin Doctors in the tightly contested third set. He fired three service aces during a momentum-swinging 4-0 run that stretched a slim 17-15 lead to 21-15.
However, Dan Nicolas sparked life off the bench for Savouge, scoring two straight points to ignite a 4-0 counter that trimmed the deficit to just two, 19-21.
Adrian Villados stopped the bleeding for Criss Cross with a crafty drop shot, followed by a Vince Imperial net violation that restored some breathing room for the King Crunchers. Still, Mark Calado refused to back down, leading a personal 3-1 spurt that once again brought Savouge within two.
Marck Espejo, who brought the team to match point, finally sealed the deal with a cross-court kill, wrapping up Criss Cross’ fifth straight win of the tournament supported by Alpha Insurance, Premiere EMS, Buffalo’s Wings n’ Things, and Arena Plus.
It was a balanced offensive effort for the King Crunchers, with Villados orchestrating the attack through 20 excellent sets to go with three points in the one-hour and 22-minute win.
Jaron Requinon contributed nine points alongside 10 excellent receptions, while rookie middle blocker Poy Colinares added eight markers, including three of the team’s 11 kill blocks.
Criss Cross will shoot for its sixth straight win against University of Santo Tomas–Gameville on Sunday at 5:00 PM at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
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Giles Torres led the way for the Spin Doctors, who fell to 2-2, with 10 points. Meanwhile, Reymark Betco was limited to just nine markers after back-to-back 20-point outings in their wins over FEU-DN Steel and UST-Gameville.
Shawie Caritativo finished with nine points and 15 excellent receptions, while Nicolas chipped in eight in the loss.
Savouge will look to bounce back against the winless PGJC-Navy, also on Sunday at 1:00 PM.
