In the end, Criss Cross didn’t just hold on – the King Crunchers held firm, stood tall and claimed yet another championship.
Criss Cross proved once again why it remains the undisputed king of the Spikers’ Turf, weathering a fierce challenge from Savouge to capture the Open Conference crown in a gripping four-set victory, 28-26, 25-17, 26-28, 25-23, in a sudden-death finale before a packed Sunday crowd at the FilOil Centre.
In a match that tested both nerve and resilience, the King Crunchers survived a tense opening-set duel, imposed their will in the second, stumbled in a tightly contested third, and then dug deep in the fourth to close out the series and secure their second straight championship in the league organized by Sports Vision.
While Criss Cross leaned on its battle-tested wing spikers, it was middle blocker Kim Malabunga who delivered in the most crucial moments. He scored on a perfectly timed slide play before sealing the victory with a commanding block on Louie Ramirez’s attempt to extend the match, igniting celebrations from the roaring crowd.
Malabunga was best remembered for his attempted game-winning block for Alas Pilipinas in the FIVB Men's Volleyball World Championship group stage against Iran – an effort that was ultimately nullified after a net-touch violation was confirmed on review.
This time, however, he left no room for doubt – delivering a clean, decisive play with full conviction as the King Crunchers finally secured the title.
Jude Garcia, however, anchored the team’s all-around effort and earned Best Player of the Game honors after finishing with 27 points built on 23 attacks and three blocks.
Garcia admitted that the victory was far from easy, especially with Savouge clearly prepared for his game.
“I really had to dig deep because Savouge had us figured out,” said Garcia in Filipino. “They were ready for my attacks, my blocking – everything. In Game 3, I made sure to bounce back from our loss in Game 2.”
That setback – a shocking straight-sets defeat – forced a winner-take-all showdown after Criss Cross had earlier taken the best-of-three series opener in four. For Garcia, the final was an opportunity to reassert their identity as champions.
“We showed who the real Criss Cross is – the same team that won the Invitational,” said Garcia, who claimed his fifth Conference MVP and first Finals MVP award. “After Game 2, people said we weren’t playing like ourselves. So I told myself I would give 100 percent – every set, every point of the game.”
The rest of the King Crunchers responded in kind, with playmaker Adrian Villados orchestrating the offense brilliantly with 33 excellent sets. His most crucial delivery came late in the fourth, setting up Malabunga for a quick hit that broke a 23-all count.
With memories of extended battles in Sets 1 and 3 still fresh, fans braced for another prolonged finish. Instead, Malabunga rose to the occasion once more, perfectly reading Ramirez’s attack and shutting it down with a decisive block that sealed the championship.
Noel Kampton, meanwhile, played a pivotal role as he contributed 20 points, while Alche Gupiteo and Malabunga added 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Manuel Sumanguid, on the other hand, tallied 20 excellent receptions and eight excellent digs for the King Crunchers.
Meanwhile, Mark Calado paced the Spin Doctors anew with 16 points, while Ramirez finished with 13 points and 13 excellent receptions, and JP Bugaoan added 10 markers as Savouge posted its best finish after two bronze medal efforts.
The victory was the culmination of a dominant campaign that saw Criss Cross rule the preliminary rounds before overcoming a tough semifinal stretch and a determined Savouge squad in the finals.
For Garcia, the championship boiled down to a single word: grit.
“We held on,” he said. “I kept telling my teammates in Set 3 and in the fourth that nothing would come easy, so we had to work for every single point. Everyone had to contribute – it couldn’t just be one person.”
Despite the loss, Savouge showed it has the makings of a future champion. After falling behind by two sets, the Spin Doctors fought back to claim the third and nearly forced a deciding fifth set.
They surged to a 16-14 lead in the fourth behind setter Vince Imperial’s back-to-back kills via 1-2 plays and later stayed within striking distance in a tense endgame. Shawie Caritativo delivered a clutch off-the-bench kill to tie the set at 22, though a costly service error handed momentum back to Criss Cross.
Ramirez answered with another attack to level the score anew, but the King Crunchers held their ground. A perfectly executed play by Villados and Malabunga restored the lead before Malabunga delivered the final blow.
