Kindai University booked a spot in the Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference finals after defeating Savouge Aesthetics, 25-16, 26-28, 25-20, 25-18, on Thursday, November 27, at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan. The Japanese guest team rebounded strongly from its first tournament loss against Cignal and finished the semifinals with a 4-1 record.

The King Crunchers, who will face Kindai University in the championship game on Saturday at 5 p.m., lost only a single match this tournament—to Kindai U, 25-22, 25-22, 19-25, 25-22—making this rematch highly anticipated.

Historic performance and key players

Kindai University’s late-game surge was powered by Ryutaro Aun, Haruka Misugi, and Yoshiki Yasuda. Misugi and Aun combined for five unanswered points late in the fourth set, reaching match point at 24-19. A powerful spike from Yasuda sealed the victory, making Kindai the first guest team in Spikers’ Turf history to reach the championship stage.

Aun led all scorers with 23 points, Misugi contributed 22 points on 19 spikes, two blocks, and an ace, while Yasuda delivered 18 points with 17 excellent receptions and seven digs. Head coach Hideyuki Mitsuyama praised his team’s resilience, noting that he reminded players to “keep their hearts stronger” against a determined Savouge squad.

Savouge Aesthetics’ fight and next steps

Savouge will contest the bronze medal match on Saturday at 3 p.m. against Cignal. Mark Calado led the Spin Doctors with 23 points, and Shawie Caritativo added 14 points, six blocks, 27-of-34 excellent receptions, and seven digs. Reymark Betco scored nine points, but high-scoring middle blocker Giles Torres was held to just three.

The semifinal highlighted the growing impact of international guest teams and set the stage for a compelling championship showdown between Kindai University and Criss Cross.