King Crunchers Secure Spot in Finals with Strong Comeback

Criss Cross bounced back from a shaky start to defeat AEP-Cabstars, 21-25, 25-19, 25-17, 25-17, securing the final berth in the 2026 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference Finals on Sunday at the Filoil Centre.

With the win, the King Crunchers finished their round-robin semifinal campaign with a 2-1 record, earning their fifth consecutive Finals appearance. They will face Savouge in a highly anticipated best-of-three series starting Wednesday at 5 p.m.

After dropping the first set, Criss Cross regrouped and came out with renewed energy, using strong blocking and more consistent play to dominate the remaining three sets and overpower the Cabstars.

AEP-Cabstars made a late push in the fourth set, but Jaron Requinton led a key 4-0 run that stretched a 16-14 lead to a commanding 20-14 advantage. Criss Cross maintained control from there, with Requinton scoring the team’s final four points to seal the win after one hour and 49 minutes.

“It was do-or-die for us today, and we knew we had to go all out to get to the Finals. We needed to boost our morale as we head towards our ultimate goal — to become champions again,” said Requinton, who contributed 15 points off the bench.

“What's on our mind is that we can't afford to be overconfident. We have to fight every game,” he added.

Four-time MVP Jude Garcia led the charge for the King Crunchers, scoring 24 points, including 20 attacks and four blocks, while also contributing eight excellent receptions. Adrian Villados set up the offense with 30 excellent sets.

Nico Almendras, Kim Malabunga, and Lloyd Josafat each chipped in six points, as coach Tai Bundit relied on his bench to provide a spark after a slow start.

On defense, Menard Guerrero and John Pepito helped anchor the team’s floor defense with 13 excellent digs and 14 excellent receptions, respectively.

AEP-Cabstars, who finished the semifinals with a 1-2 record, will now face Alpha Insurance in the battle-for-bronze series on Wednesday.

Jared Schnake led AEP-Cabstars in their final semifinal match with 18 points and eight excellent digs.

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