Expect Criss Cross to go all out and avoid any slip-ups as it battles eliminated UST-Gameville on Thursday, with a coveted finals berth on the line in the Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
The King Crunchers are heavily favored to hurdle the Golden Spikers in their 1 p.m. matchup, a win that will secure their spot in the championship round and spare them from any tiebreak complications. Criss Cross, Savouge Aesthetics and Kindai University are currently locked in a three-way tie at 3-1, each determined not only to win but to claim a clear path to the finals.
A Criss Cross defeat, however, could breathe life back into Cignal’s fading hopes, potentially creating a triple tie at 3-2. Any deadlock will be settled via match points and set ratio.
But the King Crunchers are leaving nothing to chance. They are expected to unleash their full arsenal against a UST-Gameville squad that has struggled in the semis without its top hitters.
Criss Cross steadied itself after a tough four-set loss to Kindai U, sweeping ProValley last Monday before escaping Savouge in five sets on Tuesday to force the three-way tie.
Meanwhile, though already out of finals contention, UST-Gameville notched its breakthrough semis victory with a sweep of ProVolley Academy in the tournament organized by Sports Vision.
“Training lang ulit kami tapos syempre balik lang sa strategy kung paano namin paghahandaan ‘yung UST. Kahit wala ‘yung main gunners nila, kailangan talagang mag-doble effort pa kami. Hindi kami puwedeng maging complacent kasi ‘yun na ‘yung chance para makapunta kami sa championship,” said Criss Cross star Jude Garcia.
The Golden Spikers have faltered in the semis after losing top guns Josh Ybañez, JJ Macam, Al-Bukharie Sali, and head coach Odjie Mamon to Alas Pilipinas duties for the 33rd Southeast Asian Games.
At 5 p.m., Savouge and Kindai U clash in a do-or-die duel for the other finals seat – an explosive showdown expected to showcase power, precision and poise from start to finish. Both teams are seeking to rebound after the Japanese guest squad fell to the Super Spikers last Tuesday.
Savouge will continue leaning on Mark Calado, Giles Torres, and Dan Nicolas, while hoping for an improved outing from Shawie Caritativo – twice named Best Outside Hitter in the league supported by Alpha Insurance, Premiere EMS, Buffalo’s Wings N’ Things, Black Mamba and ArenaPlus.
Kindai U’s Ryutaro Aun will look for stronger support after erupting for 27 points in their previous match, where no other teammate scored in double digits.
Cignal, meanwhile, faces ProVolley at 3 p.m.. While the Super Spikers are expected to cruise to victory, their hopes for a ninth straight finals appearance hinge on a Criss Cross loss to UST-Gameville.
“We will treat the game against ProVolley as a very important game. Paghahandaan namin ‘yung strengths and weaknesses nila, and still, kailangan namin ipanalo para kung ano’t ano man, at least ‘yung remaining games namin, naipanalo namin,” said Cignal head coach Dexter Clamor.
Games are aired live on One Sports and One Sports+, as well as through the Pilipinas Live app, which offers video-on-demand options. Games will also be streamed via spikersturf.ph
