MANILA -- Criss Cross finally got over the hump on Wednesday, shocking defending champion Cignal HD in resounding fashion at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
The King Crunchers marched to a 25-23, 25-21, 25-17 triumph against the HD Spikers to stay unbeaten in the 2025 Spikers' Turf Open Conference and rise to the solo lead in the tournament.
Just as important, they handed their archrivals their first loss of their campaign and ended a string of poor results against Cignal HD -- including back-to-back defeats in the finals of last season's Open and Invitational Conferences.
This marks only the third time that Criss Cross has beaten Cignal HD in eight match-ups. The King Crunchers are now 5-0, while the HD Spikers dropped to 4-1.
Criss Cross celebrates after beating Cignal HD in the 2025 Spikers' Turf Open Conference, March 5, 2025 at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan. PVL Media
What was expected to be a down-the-wire affair between two unbeaten teams instead turned out to be a showcase for the King Crunchers, who outlasted Cignal HD in the first two sets before overpowering them in the third frame.
Criss Cross built a slim 16-14 advantage into the second technical timeout, before Jude Garcia, Gian Glorioso, and Nico Almendras worked together to help the King Crunchers win nine of the next 12 rallies.
A highlight of the run were back-to-back points by Almendras -- a kill block on Steven Rotter followed by an emphatic spike to cap a mad scramble on defense for the King Crunchers. Consecutive attack errors by Wendel Miguel from the back row brought Criss Cross to match point.
A service error by Garcia temporarily kept the HD Spikers alive, but Almendras slammed the door on Cignal HD's hopes with another big hit, this time off Louie Ramirez's hands.
Setter Ish Polvorosa shone in the win, putting up 18 excellent sets in the one hour, 21-minute win.
"I think we did well in the first round, but there are still areas we need to improve on, especially minimizing lapses and avoiding unnecessary mistakes. I know the team can study and correct these during training," Polvorosa said in Filipino.
Garcia led all scorers with 19 points built on 16 attacks, two kill blocks, and an ace, while also contributing nine excellent receptions. Almendras and Jaron Requinto added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Manuel Sumanguid anchored the floor defense with 19 excellent receptions and five excellent digs, while middle blockers Kim Malabunga and Glorioso chipped in seven and six points, respectively.
Now on a five-game winning streak, Criss Cross aims to extend its run to six when it opens the second round against Alpha Insurance on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
For Cignal, Wendel Mguel led the team with 15 points off 13 attacks and two blocks, while Rotter contributed 10 points. Jau Umandal was limited to just seven points and sat out the third set.
Cignal will look to bounce back against VNS-Laticrete in their next match, also on Sunday at 3:30 p.m.