Criss Cross made history on Wednesday night, delivering a straight-set sweep (25-23, 25-21, 25-17) against defending champions Cignal at the FilOil EcoOil Arena.

The King Crunchers snapped a losing streak against their longtime tormentors and rose to 5-0, taking first place in the Spikers’ Turf Open Conference.

Criss Cross Dominates Behind Garcia and Almendras

After a tightly contested first two sets, Criss Cross took control in the third, outscoring Cignal 9-3 in the final stretch.

• Jude Garcia led all scorers with 19 points (16 attacks, 2 blocks, 1 ace)
• Nico Almendras delivered 11 points, including a crucial block on Steven Rotter
• Ish Polvorosa tallied 18 excellent sets and four kill blocks in a masterful playmaking performance

Cignal struggled to respond, with Jau Umandal limited to seven points before being benched in the third set.

Alpha Insurance Secures First Win

In another matchup, Alpha Insurance broke into the win column by sweeping PGJC-Navy (25-21, 26-24, 25-19) at the FilOil EcoOil Centre.

• Vincent Nadera led with 17 points (15 attacks, 2 blocks)
• Edward Camponsano and JJ Javelona added 15 and 14 points, respectively
• Jerome Lopez orchestrated the offense with 16 excellent sets

“We learned a lot from our previous losses, and this win gives us confidence moving forward,” said Alpha Insurance coach Mike Santos.

Savouge Bounces Back Against VNS-Laticrete

Savouge rebounded from a tough loss to Criss Cross by sweeping VNS-Laticrete (25-16, 25-20, 25-23) to improve to 3-2.

• Mark Calado led with 18 points (16 attacks, 2 blocks)
• Sherwin Caritativo posted 11 points and anchored the defense
• John Diwa added 11 markers with five kill blocks

Savouge will look to keep its momentum when it faces PGJC-Navy on Sunday at 6 PM, while VNS-Laticrete faces Cignal at 3:30 PM.