Defending champion Criss Cross survived a major scare from a determined VNS-Laticrete, escaping with a thrilling five-set victory, 25-19, 23-25, 22-25, 25-23, 15-13, to clinch a semifinals berth in the 2026 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference on Sunday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
The King Crunchers strengthened their hold on the top spot, extending their unbeaten run to seven games and keeping their perfect record intact at 7-0 in the tournament organized by Sports Vision.
However, the victory hardly came easy for Criss Cross, which struggled to find its rhythm as 26 unforced errors allowed the Griffins to stay within striking distance and take a 2-1 set lead.
The King Crunchers, however, showed their composure when it mattered most, fighting back to claim the fourth set before holding off VNS in a tightly contested decider to seal the victory after more than two hours of play.
Despite falling behind early in the deciding set, the Griffins refused to go down quietly as Jau Umandal caught fire, hammering down back-to-back attacks before capping his personal 3-0 run with an emphatic block on Jude Garcia to knot the score at 9-all.
Garcia, however, had an answer of his own, unleashing a personal 3-0 run in an intense exchange with Umandal to restore Criss Cross' three-point cushion at 12-9.
Umandal continued his scoring spree, while Noel Kampton took over from Garcia on the other side as the two teams traded blows in a tense closing stretch, with the King Crunchers eventually moving within a point of victory at 14-11.
In a last-ditch effort to keep their upset bid alive, setter Howard Guerra switched positions and delivered back-to-back hits to bring VNS within a point at 13-14. But Kim Malabunga put an end to the Griffins’ rally, sending a floating ball over the net to seal the victory and Criss Cross' semifinals berth.
“Siguro ano lang, inaasahan din naman talaga namin na lahat ng teams eh makikipag-compete sa’min to the highest level kaya kailangan talaga namin trabahuhin every point, ‘wag talaga kami dapat mag-relax,” said Garcia.
“Knowing naman lahat ng teams, prepared naman talaga. Kailangan talaga namin trabahuhin pa and doblehin lahat ng ginagawa namin kapag naglalaro kami para ‘di na maulit uli ‘yung kagaya nung ngayon,” he added.
Garcia led the King Crunchers’ fightback with 19 points, including 15 attacks and four of the team’s 18 kill blocks, while Kampton contributed 18 markers despite sitting out the first two sets.
Jaron Requinton added 12 points, while Malabunga chipped in 10, including three blocks. Nico Almendras, meanwhile, delivered an all-around performance with five points, 20 excellent receptions, and five excellent digs.
Adrian Villados orchestrated the offense with 16 excellent sets to go along with three points.
Criss Cross will look to keep its perfect record intact when it takes on 3B on Wednesday at 1 p.m. at the same venue.
Meanwhile, VNS closed its campaign with a fourth consecutive defeat despite pushing the defending champions to the limit, finishing with a 2-7 record.
Julius Arcillo turned in his best performance of the tournament with 26 points on 20 attacks, three aces, and three blocks, while veteran Umandal tallied 25 points on 22 attacks and three kill blocks. He also chipped in 24 excellent receptions and eight excellent digs.
Guerra dished out 24 excellent sets to go along with six points, while libero Joshua Cruz registered 30 excellent receptions.
