Criss Cross finally seized the elusive Spikers’ Turf crown – not by dethroning perennial tormentor and archrival Cignal, but by surviving the unrelenting fury of an equally formidable, youthful, and fiercely determined Kindai University squad that refused to bow out quietly.
And fight the young Japanese side did. All night long.
But when nerves hardened and execution mattered most, the King Crunchers stood tallest.
Before a roaring, fully engaged crowd at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan on Saturday night, Criss Cross delivered the performance of its life, escaping with a nerve-jangling 25-15, 25-21, 23-25, 23-25, 22-20 victory to finally hoist the Invitational Conference championship – its first-ever Spikers’ Turf title and a moment years in the making.
It was their night. Their story. Their redemption arc culminating in glory.
Thrice they had finished as runners-up to the mighty Super Spikers, each heartbreak carving a deeper scar. Yet each setback also forged their resolve. And on this night, pushed to the very brink by the spirited Japanese visitors, the King Crunchers refused to blink.
They survived six championship points – six moments that would have shattered lesser teams – and still found the will to rise.
And when the final swing needed to be taken, Jude Garcia did not shy away.
Foiled earlier in the nerve-wracking fifth set, Garcia unleashed a courageous hammer against a three-man Kindai wall, giving Criss Cross yet another lifeline deep into the extended decider. Moments later, Kindai star Haruka Misugi, the visiting team’s emotional anchor all match long, fired a cross-court attack that went a hair wide – triggering a deafening explosion of relief, disbelief and triumph from the Criss Cross bench and crowd.
After years of heartbreak, they were finally kings.
“Sobrang sarap sa feeling. Unang championship namin,” said Garcia, who authored an awe-inspiring 35-point masterpiece in the grueling two-hour, 12-minute war of attrition. “Ilang heartbreaks na, tatlong seasons, nakuha din naming ang championship. Ang sarap sa pakiramdam.”
“Lahat ng paghihirap namin sa training… inasam-asam talaga namin itong championship,” he added.
What initially looked like a cruise to a historic first title turned into a test of character, of heart, of championship mettle. The King Crunchers had to overcome not only Kindai’s youthful exuberance and relentless defense but also the weight of their own past.
Though Garcia took center stage, the triumph was built on collective will.
Nico Almendras and Poy Colinares matched each other with clutch 15-point outputs, while Noel Kampton added 13 crucial markers, including the final equalizer at 20 in the deciding set.
Setter Adrian Villados, steady and unshaken amid chaos, orchestrated the comeback with poise beyond his years, finishing with 34 excellent sets to be named as the MVP of the Final.
“Yun nga po malaking part para sa team na wala si kuya Ish kaya binigyan ako nila ng tiwala, nila coach, para gampanan ko. Ang ginawa ko lang is perform lang ako every game, every training 100 percent. Binigyan din ako ng tiwala nila coach para ipasok sa first six, ginawa ko lang talaga yung best ko and tiwala sa teammates,” said Villados.
This could have been a night of double history.
Kindai U was on the verge of becoming the first guest team to ever win a Spikers’ Turf championship. And the Japanese played like they believed destiny was theirs – fearless, disciplined and unafraid of the moment.
Haruka was sensational with 27 points, including a bold off-the-block kill that knotted the fifth set at 19.
Yoshiki Yasuda delivered 22, while Kentaro Hata and Nozomi Yamamoto chipped in 16 and 10, respectively – numbers that, on most nights, would have been enough to bring home a trophy.
But Criss Cross would not allow the visitors’ fairy-tale run to end on their court.
After Colinares was roofed by Tohiro Shimomasu to hand Kindai its sixth championship point, Kampton answered with the poise of a veteran. Villados then went to Garcia for the go-ahead kill before Haruka’s final swing sailed just long, completing one of the most dramatic championship duels the league has ever seen.
The moment the ball landed out, the King Crunchers erupted – relief, joy, disbelief mixing all at once. Years of frustration were washed away in that single moment.
Against heartbreak, against history, against a hungry young Japanese squad – they stood resilient.
And on this historic night, they finally carved their names into Spikers’ Turf lore.
At long last, Criss Cross is the king.
