It was a night filled with anticipation and nerves for Kim Malabunga, as the Criss Cross starting middle blocker made his long-awaited return to the Spikers' Turf floor on Sunday.
Nearly two months after a freak accident cut his 2024 Invitational Conference campaign short, Malabunga was back—just in time for a crucial round-robin semifinal match against archrivals, the Cignal HD Spikers.
Malabunga’s journey to the court was not a straightforward one. On the opening day of the Invitational Conference, back on October 16, during the pregame warmup, disaster struck. The veteran middle blocker was preparing for the season opener when he awkwardly landed on a ball.
The result? A dislocated right ankle and a sprained left ankle that would sideline him for the next six weeks. It was a heartbreaking blow for both Malabunga and his team, as they watched their captain and defensive anchor fall victim to an accident before the tournament had even begun.
Fast forward to Sunday night, and Malabunga was still not at full strength, but his desire to help his team pushed him to suit up for the round-robin clash.
"Actually ‘yung feeling ko kanina bago ako lumabas sa court sobrang kinakabahan ako kasi hindi ko alam kung makakapagperform ba ako nang ayos kasi halos two months nga ako nawala dahil sa injury ko," Malabunga shared. “Ang mindset ko na lang ay kailangan ng team ng tulong kasi ‘yung ibang middle medyo nawawalan ng laro so kahit masakit pa rin ‘yung paa ko, nilaban ko na ‘yung laro kanina para makatulong, nakatulong naman kahit papaano."
Coming off the bench in the second set, Malabunga quickly made his presence felt, starting the third and fourth sets. He chipped in with four valuable points, helping Criss Cross edge out Cignal in a thrilling four-set victory, 25-20, 22-25, 25-12, 26-24, at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
Despite the win, Malabunga was the first to evaluate his own performance, showing the relentless self-awareness that has made him a respected leader on and off the court.
“Siguro need ko pa magfocus sa therapy para makasabay ako kasi kita naman sa laro kanina sobrang bagal pa ng approach ko, hindi pa ako makatalon nang ayos,” said the 6-foot-5 middle blocker. “Ang hirap kasi kapag gusto ng utak mo pero hindi makasunod ‘yung katawan so ngayong week kailangan ko pang sipagan sa therapy.”
While Malabunga battles through the lingering effects of his injury, the Criss Cross squad is on a mission.
With a perfect 2-0 record in the round-robin semifinals and an ongoing eight-game winning streak stretching back to the preliminary rounds, Criss Cross is firmly in the hunt for a spot in the gold medal match.
Malabunga remains determined to improve, knowing that the King Crunchers' road to the championship is still very much in his hands.
“We have a lot of work ahead of us,” he said, with the team scheduled to face Savouge next on Wednesday at the San Juan arena before taking on Japanese guest team Hyogo on Friday at the Philsports Arena.
If they continue to impress, a gold medal match awaits on Sunday, December 15, also at Philsports.
But it’s not just Malabunga’s return that’s making waves. His absence gave other middle blockers the opportunity to shine, and Gian Glorioso—along with Rex Intal and Chu Njigha—rose to the occasion.
Glorioso, in particular, emerged as the top blocker after the preliminary rounds with 33 kill blocks, and he also ranked 12th in the scoring race with 83 points.
"Sobrang saya ko kasi ‘yung ibang middles nag step up talaga, na kailangang kailangan ng team na ganon. Kita naman, gumagawa naman sila," Malabunga expressed.
