Criss Cross repelled a determined PGJC-Navy side, 25-17, 25-27, 25-20, 25-20, to secure its third consecutive victory in the 2025 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference on Wednesday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
Despite dropping a tight second set, the King Crunchers regained control to put away the Sealions, who battled valiantly despite fielding only 12 players. The victory temporarily placed Criss Cross at the top of the standings in the early stages of the double-round eliminations organized by Sports Vision.
Nico Almendras put up a stellar all-around performance, tallying 14 points on 12 attacks and two blocks while also excelling in defense with 13 excellent receptions.
“We’re really happy to get our third win. We committed a lot of unforced errors in the second set, so our mindset going forward was to minimize them in the succeeding sets,” said Almendras in Filipino.
With the Sealions threatening at 19-21 in the fourth set, Jude Garcia and Pemmie Bagalay sparked a crucial 3-0 surge to put Criss Cross at match point, 24-19.
Greg Dolor momentarily kept Navy alive with an off-the-block hit, but Omar Lioc’s service error sealed the victory for the King Crunchers after two hours and six minutes of intense volley action.
Jaron Requinton continued his impressive form, coming off the bench to deliver 12 points on 10 attacks, an ace and a block while Bagalay and reigning MVP Garcia added nine and eight points, respectively.
Veteran setter Ish Polvorosa masterfully orchestrated the King Crunchers’ offense with 15 excellent sets while chipping in four crucial points. Manuel Sumanguid anchored the floor defense with 14 excellent digs.
Criss Cross will look to extend its streak to four when it faces Savouge on Sunday at 6 p.m. at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum, a crucial tune-up before its much-anticipated showdown with Cignal on March 5.
The Sealions, fresh off a five-set thriller against the VNS-Laticrete Griffins, suffered their second loss in three matches despite a monster performance from Dolor, who erupted for 32 points on 29 attacks and two blocks.
With Joeven Dela Vega still sidelined due to illness, Dolor took charge, but his efforts weren’t enough to push Navy past the surging Criss Cross squad.
Jack Kalingking contributed 13 excellent receptions and six digs, while Owen Suarez and John Ashley Jacob added 14 excellent sets and 14 points, respectively.
PGJC-Navy looks to bounce back when it faces defending champion Cignal on Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
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