Jude Garcia powered Criss Cross’ sweep of RichMarc Sports 3B, 25-16, 25-10, 25-22, for a share of the lead in the 2024 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference, Sunday at the Paco Arena in Manila.
Garcia showcased another two-way effort, converting 11 of his 15 attack attempts and delivering five booming aces to finish with a game-high 16 points to go along with nine excellent receptions and seven excellent digs in the 66-minute contest.
The King Crunchers have now won their first three games to start the tournament, enough to tie defending champion Cignal at the top spot with identical 3-0 records.
“Siguro okay naman kaso nga lang marami pa kaming kailangan i-polish sa galaw namin, especially sa blockings kasi ang dami naming errors. Kailangan namin pagtuunan pa rin ng pansin yung mga simple mistakes na nangyayari sa loob ng court,” said Garcia after the win.
Garcia also got help from Rex Intal, who blocked five attacks to finish with 13 points, and Ysay Marasigan, who added 11 points.
Manuel Sumanguid registered 14 excellent receptions and four excellent digs while Ish Polvorosa tossed 11 excellent sets for Criss Cross.
The King Crunchers dominated all categories, scoring 42 attack points in just 76 attempts while also notching eight aces and seven blocks. The Elite Spikers, on the other hand, were limited to just 29 attacks, two aces, and one block.
“Maximize lang kung ano yung magandang ginagawa namin. Yung maliliit na bagay importante talaga kasi kailangan simple things doon maguumpisa yung magandang tinatakbo ng team. Kailangan one game at a time,” added the former FEU standout.
Criss Cross will take a two-week break before heading back to action against the D’Navigators on April 10, 6:00 p.m. at the Paco Arena.
On the other hand, RichMarc dropped its third-straight match in as many outings to fall to 0-3 in the standings.
Kernel Ipulan led the Elite Spikers with eight points while Kaiser Rosales added seven markers in the loss.
RichMarc looks to end its losing streak against PGJC-Navy on April 5, 4:00 p.m. at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
