Criss Cross cruises, FEU soars to 3-0

Criss Cross King Crunchers in Spikers’Turf.–Photo from Spikers’ Turf

MANILA, Philippines — Criss Cross hosted a block party against D’Navigators Iloilo, rolling to a commanding 25-18, 25-14, 25-16 victory to seize solo third place in the Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig on Sunday night.

Led by the imposing middle blocker duo of Gian Glorioso and Rex Intal, the King Crunchers tallied 19 blocks in a swift one-hour, 24-minute demolition of D’Navigators.

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The victory mirrored their previous dominant win over the VNS Griffins last October 16, leaving Criss Cross just behind the top-seeded Spin Doctors and Ultras, who both sport unblemished 3-0 records.

READ: Spikers’ Turf: Criss Cross bucks Malabunga injury for debut win

Glorioso, a former Ateneo standout, delivered a game-high 14 points with an impressive eight blocks and six attacks.

“Overall, I think it was a good performance. Obviously, we have some areas to improve on, and some areas to work on. I would say it’s a collective effort every time we win,” Glorioso said of the team’s performance.

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“No matter if playing or not, our readiness in the game starts in training so I would say it’s been a collective effort for us,” he added.

Rookie outside spiker Nico Almendras and Open Conference MVP Jude Garcia each contributed 13 points, with Garcia also posting 10 excellent receptions to back Glorioso’s standout performance.

Skipper Ysay Marasigan chipped in eight points and six digs, while Intal added six points and helped anchor their net defense with five blocks.

Setter Ish Polvorosa showcased his playmaking with 13 excellent sets and added four points, while libero John Pepito registered nine digs and five excellent receptions.

The D’Navigators suffered their second consecutive loss, dropping to 1-2. Madz Gampong led D’Navigators with 11 points, but struggled to find consistent support from teammates Edward Camposano and Vince Himzon, who scored seven and six points, respectively.

READ: Spikers’ Turf: Criss Cross aims high even without Marck Espejo

Meanwhile, DN Steel-Far Eastern University stretched its winning streak to three after a tough straight-set win over PGJC Navy, 25-19, 29-27, 25-23.

The Ultras claimed a share of the early lead in the season-ending conference with the Savouge Spin Doctors.

“Madami pang dapat linisin kasi parang nagkakagulo kanina. ‘Yung setter ang kumukuha ng first ball, ‘di alam kung sinong aatake o kukuha,” said FEU-DN Steel head coach Eddieson Orcullo.

“Ang daming errors, plus ‘yung service sa second set crucial eh, ang daming tapon. Baka kaya ganun kasi naga-adjust siguro,” he added.

On the verge of losing the second frame, Dryx Saavedra took over and scored off a cross-court hit and an off-the-block attack to lift DN Steel-FEU to a 2-0 advantage.

The third set proved to be another tight encounter as Navy, determined to avoid a sweep, matched DN Steel-FEU point-for-point. Navy even led early, taking an 8-6 advantage at the first technical timeout. However, the Ultras rallied back, capitalizing on a string of quick hits and a costly Navy miscue to take a slim 10-8 lead.

In a gripping exchange, Navy regained a slight 12-10 lead after a swipe from Joeven Dela Vega and a wide attack from Saavedra. The two teams traded powerful attacks and timely blocks as Saavedra and Mikko Espartero clashed with Dela Vega and Greg Dolor.

“Naghanda lang kami talaga sa Navy,” said playmaker Benny Martinez, who finished with 19 excellent sets and contributed two points.

“Masarap sa feeling na kalaban na namin ngayon ung mga dati naming pinapanood at ina-idolize.”

READ: FEU Tamaraws improve to 2-0 in Spikers’ Turf

A Doula Ndongala block and a timely ace from Luis Miguel enabled the Ultras to break a 21-all count in the third set, and a late error by Dolor initially seemed to secure the win for DN Steel-FEU.

But Navy successfully challenged the call, reducing the Ultras’ lead to 22-24 with another Dolor kill saving a match point for the Sealions.

However, the Ultras’ defense held firm in the final rally, allowing Espartero to fire off a decisive cross-court kill that sealed the victory and capped an exciting straight-set match.

Saavedra led the way in FEU-DN Steel’s one-hour, 29-minute victory with 13 points, while Espartero and Lirick Mendoza added 12 and 10 markers, respectively. Vennie Ceballos collected 15 excellent receptions and three excellent digs for the Ultras.

Dela Vega finished with 16 points on 13 attacks, two aces, and a block for the Sealions, who slid to 1-1.

In La Salle-EcoOil’s debut, the Green Oilers scored an expected romp over winless Martelli Meats (0-3), 25-21, 25-20, 25-13.

Noel Kampton and Vince Maglinao. Both players missed key portions of La Salle’s runner-up campaign in the V-League Collegiate Challenge, but in their return, they immediately made their presence felt.

Kampton scored 12 points, including 11 from blistering attacks, while also adding eight excellent receptions. Maglinao, on the other hand, showed no signs of rust, contributing 11 points alongside teammate Josh Magalaman, who matched his tally.

Setter Eco Adajar orchestrated the offense with 15 excellent sets, while captain Menard Guerrero anchored the defense with nine excellent receptions and seven digs.