Jude Garcia delivered a masterclass performance to lead Criss Cross to its fourth consecutive Finals appearance in the 2025 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference, fending off a stubborn UST-Gameville side, 25-17, 23-25, 25-23, 25-23, on Thursday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
Garcia unleashed 31 points on a blistering 30-of-48 spiking clip—an efficient 62.5 percent—while also adding a block, proving once again why he remains the heartbeat of the King Crunchers.
The victory improved Criss Cross’ record to 4-1 and set up a championship clash against the winner of the Savouge Aesthetics vs. Kindai University matchup later in the day.
The win also knocked out defending champion Cignal, ending the Super Spikers’ remarkable streak of eight consecutive Finals appearances in the league organized by Sports Vision and supported by Alpha Insurance, Premiere EMS, Buffalo’s Wings N’ Things, Black Mamba, and Arena Plus.
“Sobrang challenging kasi talagang pinahirapan kami ng UST at talagang nakita kung paano kami mag-regroup at mag-compose sa loob ng court para makuha namin ‘yung win,” said Garcia.
True to form, the three-time MVP finished the game for Criss Cross, scoring five of their final seven points to overcome the Golden Spikers’ late surge in the fourth set. His backrow hit that bounced off UST-Gameville’s blockers sealed the match after one hour and 54 minutes, keeping the King Crunchers’ championship dreams alive.
Earlier in the match, Garcia put Criss Cross at set point in the third with an off-the-block spike, while Noel Kampton denied Gboy De Vega at the net to secure a 2-1 set advantage, 25-23.
“Feel ko, one step at a time lang. Hindi puwedeng maging complacent sa kung ano ang ginagalaw namin kasi ang dami naming lapses sa past games, kaya kailangan namin trabahuhin every point at every set ng match sa championship,” added Garcia, who had previously settled for three silver medals in their first three conferences.
Nico Almendras contributed 10 points and 21 excellent receptions, while Gian Glorioso matched the Golden Spikers’ seven blocks single-handedly for nine points.
Despite being out-attacked by UST-Gameville, 64-54, Criss Cross dominated the blocking department, 14-7, and capitalized on the Golden Spikers’ 30 errors—16 more than they committed. UST-Gameville concluded their campaign with a 1-4 semifinal record.
Sherwin Umandal led UST-Gameville with 21 points on 19 spikes, a block, and an ace, alongside six digs. Gboy De Vega added 17 points, 21 receptions, and five digs, while Trevor Valera and Kenneth Salvador chipped in 14 and 12 points, respectively.
Games are aired live on One Sports and One Sports+, as well as via the Pilipinas Live app with video-on-demand options, and will also be streamed on spikersturf.ph.
