Criss Cross star Jude Garcia reached rarefied air last conference when he captured an unprecedented third straight Most Valuable Player award — yet somehow, he climbed even higher.
On Saturday night, the 27-year-old outside spiker extended his reign by securing the 2025 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference MVP plum — his fourth consecutive — a staggering run of dominance that further cements his legacy as one of the greatest players the league has ever seen.
Garcia once again displayed his unmatched scoring prowess, finishing the semifinals as the league’s top scorer with 113 points while ranking third in spiking at an impressive 49.29 percent.
He also delivered value far beyond the attack line, placing seventh in serving (0.14 aces per set) and ninth in digging (1.24 digs per set), underscoring the all-around game that has powered his sustained dominance.
Meanwhile, Adrian Villados rose from the shadows and earned his moment, claiming Finals MVP with the game of his life to lead Criss Cross to its first-ever championship — an epic 25-15, 25-21, 23-25, 23-25, 22-20 victory over Japanese guest team Kindai University.
Villados, who dished out 34 excellent sets in the gold medal match, was also named Best Setter after finishing second in the setting department with 6.05 per set.
Garcia added another feather to his cap by earning his first-ever Best Outside Spiker award, joining Cignal’s Jau Umandal on the Spikers’ Turf Elite Team.
Umandal, who struggled during the elimination round, bounced back strong in the semifinals, finishing third in scoring with 90 points, second in spiking at 49.68 percent, and fifth in both blocking (0.56 per set) and serving (0.17 aces per set) to secure his third Best Outside Spiker citation.
Kindai University’s Ryutaro Aun claimed the Best Opposite Spiker award after finishing second in scoring with 94 points, leading the league in spiking at 53.33 percent, and adding 0.33 blocks per set — good for 10th in the blocking rankings — to help his team reach the finals.
On the front line, the Best Middle Blocker honors went to Criss Cross’ Poy Colinares and Savouge Aesthetics’ Giles Torres.
Colinares ranked second in blocking with 0.71 per set, tallying 15 kill blocks en route to his first citation, while Torres finished third with 0.63 per set and 12 kill blocks for his second Best Middle Blocker plum.
Rounding out the Elite Team was Kindai University’s Yuito Kose, who earned Best Libero recognition after placing second in both digging (2.39 per set) and receiving (56.98 percent).
