With two emphatic victories, Criss Cross isn’t just stacking wins – it’s imposing dominance.
The King Crunchers, coming off straight-sets triumphs over the VNS Always Bright Laticrete Griffins and the Alpha Insurance Protectors, shoot for a third straight victory as they take on the AEP-Cabstars in the 2026 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference Sunday at the FilOil Playtime Centre.
Flashing firepower and depth, the defending champions look every inch the team to beat – arguably heads and shoulders above the rest of the five-team field. As they head to their 1 p.m. showdown with the Cabstars, they are determined not only to sustain the pressure but also to further stake their claim as the benchmark of the tournament organized by Sports Vision.
Alche Gupiteo, impressive in his first two outings as a King Cruncher, has provided both a dependable scoring threat and a consistent presence on defense early in the tournament.
Yet he is only one cog in a team teeming with talent.
Anchoring that core is four-time MVP Jude Garcia, with Noel Kampton, Kim Malabunga, Lloyd Josafat, John Pepito and Adrian Villados all playing their respective roles to the hilt in a system built on depth, balance and an unrelenting offensive rhythm.
But the Cabstars are no pushovers. The new-look squad shook off a tough opening-day setback to the Protectors with a convincing straight-set rout of the Griffins last Friday to get back into the thick of things in the double-round robin elims.
At the forefront of the Cabstars’ charge is Jay Rack De La Noche, whose 18-point effort against VNS underscored his rising confidence and emerging status as an offensive threat.
His former Cignal teammates Vince Lorenzo, EJ Casana, Nas Gwaza and Vince Abrot now form the backbone of AEP-Cabstars, giving the young squad a familiar core with experience and cohesion to match its ambition.
Cabstars head coach Kitty Antiporta underscored the significance of their breakthrough victory over the Griffins, emphasizing how crucial it was to gain traction heading into their showdown with the reigning Invitational Conference champions.
“Magandang bawi kasi pangit ‘yung game namin nung first game so nakapag-adjust kami doon sa dapat namin ayusin ngayong match,” said Antiporta.
“Maglalaro lang kami nang maayos doon, bibigyan namin sila ng magandang laban,” he added.
But it will take more than momentum to topple a team as deep and battle-tested as Criss Cross, whose firepower and experience may simply be too much for the Cabstars to overcome.
The spotlight later shifts to the 5 p.m. showdown between Savouge and Alpha Insurance, following the 3 p.m. encounter between winless 3B and VNS.
The Spin Doctors (1-0) aim to build on their opening victory over 3B, banking on Mark Calado, Louie Ramirez and Shawie Caritativo as they sharpen their form ahead of their keenly awaited clash with the King Crunchers on March 8.
Meanwhile, the Protectors (1-1) will lean on Jau Umandal, JM Ronquillo and Edward Camposano ss they aim to rebound from their shutout loss to the King Crunchers in the tournament backed by Alpha Insurance, Black Mamba, Arena Plus, and Premier EMS.
he Griffins (0-2) and the Event Masters (0-1), on the other hand, will look to end their respective skids at the other’s expense. Terrence Martiticion is expected to spearhead the charge for VNS, while Carl Berdal anchors 3B, with both squads leaning heavily on their top guns to spark a much-needed breakthrough.
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