FRESH from their thrilling encounter last Sunday, Criss Cross and Cignal take on separate rivals today, Wednesday looking to cement their places in the Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference finals at The Arena in San Juan.
The King Crunchers, brimming with confidence after a four-set triumph over the HD Spikers, are now a win away from securing a second straight finals appearance. They face the Savouge Spin Doctors at 4 p.m. aiming to maintain their unbeaten semis record and sustain their red-hot momentum.
Savouge won’t go down without a fight. The Spin Doctors bounced back from an early loss to Cignal with a commanding straight-sets win over Kondohgumi Hyogo last Friday.
Despite their renewed confidence, however, the Spin Doctors will need to dig deep to stop the formidable Criss Cross squad.
Even if the King Crunchers falter against Savouge, they’ll have another chance to clinch a finals spot when they face the winless Japanese team on Friday.
Cignal tries to shake off Sunday’s loss and solidify its finals bid when it takes on Kondohgumi Hyogo at 6 p.m. The young Japanese squad has yet to win a set in the semis, making this a golden opportunity for the HD Spikers to bounce back and stay in contention in the season-ending tournament of the league organized by Sports Vision.
Fans are already anticipating a Criss Cross-Cignal rematch in the finals – a repeat of last May’s Open Conference championship series, where the HD Spikers swept the King Crunchers in a best-of-three duel.
This time, however, the title will be decided in a high-stakes, one-game knockout match on Sunday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
Jude Garcia, who tallied an impressive 25 points against Cignal, will lead the King Crunchers’ offensive arsenal, supported by Ysay Marasigan, Nico Almendras, Gian Glorioso and Kim Malabunga.
Garcia, the reigning Open Conference MVP, emphasized the importance of staying cautious despite their semifinal victory over the HD Spikers. He said the season is far from over and stressed the team still needs to maintain its focus and commitment to achieve its ultimate goal.
