MANILA, Philippines — Criss Cross sent defending champion Cignal crashing back to earth with a 25-23, 25-21, 25-17 sweep in the 2025 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference on Wednesday at FilOil EcoOil Arena in San Juan.

In the battle of unbeaten squads, Jude Garcia, Gian Glorioso, and Nico Almendras drilled the big blows to keep the King Crunchers unbeaten in five games, sending the HD Spikers to a 4-1 record.

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It was Criss Cross’ third win over Cignal in eight duels since joining the premier men’s club league last year.

READ; Spikers’ Turf: Jau Umandal shines, but has plenty of help

Garcia powered the back-to-back runner-up finishers with 19 points off 16 attacks, two blocks, and an ace to go with nine excellent receptions, while Almendras contributed 11 points.

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Behind the King Crunchers’ balanced attack was Ish Polvorosa’s masterful playmaking with 18 excellent sets as Jaron Requinton chipped in 10 points, while middle blockers Kim Malabunga and Glorioso added seven and six points, respectively.

“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,” said Polvorosa in Filipino after nailing four blocks.

“We’ve learned our lessons from past conferences. Just because we won several early games doesn’t mean we should be complacent. That’s not the goal. At the end of the day, we need to remain steadfast, and our mindset should be one game at a time toward the championship,” Polvorosa added.

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Criss Cross, which also drew 19 excellent receptions and five digs from libero Manuel Sumanguid, opens its second round against Alpha Insurance on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.

Cignal was led by Wendel Miguel, who had 15 points off 13 attacks and two blocks. Steven Rotter contributed 10 points, while Jau Umandal was limited to just seven points and sat out in the third set as they seek to bounce back against VNS-Laticrete also on Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, Mark Calado poured in 18 points to lead Savouge’s bounce back 25-16, 25-20, 25-23 win over VNS-Laticrete.

The Spin Doctors improved to a 3-2 record in third place, rising from a five-set loss to Criss Cross, while VNS finished the first round tied with Alpha Insurance and PGJC-Navy at 1-4.

Alpha Insurance pounced on the depleted PGJC-Navy, 25-21, 26-24, 25-19, for its first win.

Vincent Nadera led the way for the Protectors with 17 points on 15 attacks and two kill blocks. Edward Camponsano and JJ Javelona provided strong support with 15 and 14 points, respectively, while also tallying 11 excellent receptions each to end a four-game skid.

The Sealions missed veterans Greg Dolor, Omar Lioc and Marvin Hairami, who were pulled out for training related to their promotions. Joeven Dela Vega was ruled out of the tournament due to illness.