Criss Cross may have dominated their preliminary round clashes with archrival Cignal in the 2025 Spikers' Turf Open Conference, but Jaron Requinton knows better than to rest easy.
Despite enduring a frustrating opening set, the King Crunchers stormed back to stun the HD Spikers, 19-25, 25-14, 25-20, 25-19, on Friday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City, preserving their unbeaten streak.
This victory mirrored Criss Cross' commanding 25-23, 25-21, 25-17 win over Cignal earlier in the tournament, reaffirming their dominance. Yet, Requinton — who led his team with a game-high 18 points — was quick to temper the celebration.
"Maganda ito sa confidence namin na natatalo namin yung mga teams na malalakas like Cignal na lagi naming kalaban sa championship," Requinton shared. "Nakakaboost din siya ng morale at the same time, dapat matuto rin kami na hindi kami maging complacent sa panalo na ito kasi pagdating ng semis, mawawala ito lahat, back to zero lahat."
Requinton's words carry weight, given Criss Cross' history against Cignal. In the 2024 Invitational Conference, Criss Cross toppled the HD Spikers in the semifinals, only for Cignal to exact revenge with a straight-sets win in the championship match. The 2024 Open Conference followed a similar script — Criss Cross overcame Cignal in the semis but fell in two straight games in the best-of-three Finals.
"Bawal lang talaga kami maging complacent sa mga bagay bagay," Requinton emphasized.
Now at 8-0, Criss Cross is within striking distance of sweeping the preliminaries. Standing in their way are PGJC-Navy and Savouge — two teams equally hungry to spoil their streak.
Although Criss Cross has already clinched a semifinal spot, Requinton insists they must maintain their relentless mindset heading into the final matches.
"Syempre yung proper mindset pa rin na dapat palaban pa rin talaga kahit pagod na, it’s all in the mind na lang," he stressed.
