Criss Cross made quick work of VNS, 25-14, 25-15, 25-21, for a share of the lead in the 2025 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference on Friday at the Paco Arena in Manila.
The King Crunchers and the Cignal Super Spikers—squads that have clashed in the last three Spikers’ Turf Finals—are now both 2-0. Their next showdown promises fireworks: Sunday at 6 p.m. at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan, where only one team will emerge unscathed in the league organized by Sports Vision and supported by Alpha Insurance, Premiere EMS, Buffalo’s Wings n’ Things, and Arena Plus.
“Laging bukambibig sa amin ng coaches namin na lahat ng teams ngayon palaban. Like we need to respect them kasi at some point, isang snap lang puwede kaming matalo kaya ang mindset talaga namin pinaghahandaan namin kasi mga bata ang VNS, walang pressure sa kanila maglalaro lang sila manalo matalo,” said Criss Cross outside spiker Noel Kampton, who racked up 14 points on 10 attacks, three blocks, and an ace.
Criss Cross looked set to cruise to victory after a Lucca Mamone quick hit put them ahead 20-13, but VNS’s RK Medino had other plans.
The 17-year-old, 6-foot-4 opposite spiker carried the Griffins on his shoulders, with Kimmy Liray also chipping in, narrowing the gap to just 20-22.
However, Medino’s service error halted their momentum, and Kampton slammed the final two hits to seal the Criss Cross win in just 67 minutes.
Jaron Requinton added 13 points, while Jude Garcia and Kim Malabunga contributed eight and six points, respectively.
Adrian Villados orchestrated the offense with 20 excellent sets, also scoring four points himself via three blocks and an ace, despite Criss Cross missing Nico Almendras, Chu Njigha, Ysay Marasigan, and Manuel Sumangguid, who were all sidelined due to illness.
VNS dropped to 0-2 and will look to salvage its campaign against UST-Gameville on Sunday at 4 p.m. Liray and Medino led the Griffins with nine points apiece, with assistant coach JP De Guzman continuing to mentor the team.
Head coach Ralph Ocampo is currently leading Team Caloocan—composed of VNS players—to the beach volleyball championship at the 2025 Batang Pinoy.
All games are aired live on One Sports and One Sports+, as well as through the Pilipinas Live app, which offers video-on-demand options. Matches are also streamed on spikersturf.ph.
