MANILA -- Criss Cross advanced to the finals of the 2025 Spikers' Turf Invitational Conference after a hard-earned victory over a determined University of Santo Tomas squad, Thursday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
The King Crunchers dug deep for a 25-17, 23-25, 25-23, 25-23, with Jude Garcia leading the charge.
Garcia scored 31 points -- 30 off kills -- as Criss Cross secured its fourth straight Finals appearance.
The victory gave the King Crunchers a 4-1 record in the round robin semi-finals. They will contest the Invitational Conference crown against Kindai University, which defeated Savouge Aesthetics later in the day.
The result also knocked out defending champion Cignal, ending the Super Spikers' streak of eight consecutive Finals appearances in the Spikers' Turf.
Spikers' Turf of Criss Cross rises for an attack against UST in the 2025 Spikers' Turf Invitational Conference, November 27, 2025 at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan. PVL Media
"Sobrang challenging kasi talagang pinahirapan kami ng UST at talagang nakita kung paano kami mag-regroup at mag-compose sa loob ng court para makuha namin 'yung win," said Garcia, who connected on 30 of his 48 spike attempts.
Garcia also scored five of their last seven points in Set 4, fending off the Golden Spikers' last-ditch rally.
In the third set, his off-the-block hit put the King Crunchers at set point, before Noel Kampton's denial of Gboy De Vega at the net gave them a 25-23 triumph and a 2-1 advantage.
"Feel ko, one step at a time lang. Hindi puwedeng maging complacent sa kung ano ang ginagalaw namin kasi ang dami naming lapses sa past games, kaya kailangan namin trabahuhin every point at every set ng match sa championship," added Garcia, who now hopes to lead Criss Cross to a championship breakthrough after three straight silver medal finishes.
Nico Almendras contributed 10 points and 21 excellent receptions, while Gian Glorioso matched the Golden Spikers’ seven blocks single-handedly for nine points.
Despite being out-attacked by UST-Gameville, 64-54, Criss Cross dominated the blocking department, 14-7, and capitalized on the Golden Spikers’ 30 errors—16 more than they committed.
UST-Gameville concluded their campaign with a 1-4 semifinal record.
Sherwin Umandal led UST-Gameville with 21 points on 19 spikes, a block, and an ace, alongside six digs. De Vega added 17 points, 21 receptions, and five digs, while Trevor Valera and Kenneth Salvador chipped in 14 and 12 points, respectively.