REAL BATTLE BEGINS: King Crunchers, HD Spikers open semis drives

Games today:

(Filoil EcoOil Centre)

4 p.m. — DN Steel FEU vs Criss Cross

6 p.m. — Savouge vs Cignal

The real battle begins with heavyweights Criss Cross and Cignal tackling separate foes in a pair of explosive semifinal encounters in the Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference today at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

The King Crunchers tip things off as they face DN Steel-FEU at 4 p.m. while the HD Spikers collide with Savouge in the second game at 6 p.m. of this tourney that serves as a warmup for Season 87 University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s volleyball tournament early next year.

The King Crunchers and the HD Spikers topped the eliminations with identical win-loss records but they’re going to be irrelevant as their intense rivalries forged earlier are sure to fire up the players as they push for a spot in the championship.

Adding an exciting twist to the semis is the inclusion of a Japanese side in Hyogo, the lone guest team, which is set to arrive today. The Japanese team, known for its disciplined and precise play, will observe its competition before showcasing its skills on Friday in the round-robin semifinal phase.

Hyogo’s presence brings a fresh dynamic to the tournament organized by Sports Vision, raising the stakes as the teams strive to adjust and excel against new challenges.

Criss Cross enters the semis on a six-game winning streak, with stars like Jude Garcia, Gian Glorioso and Nico Almendras leading the charge.

Almendras, fresh from a tournament-best 19-point performance, emphasized the importance of following coach Tai Bundit’s game plan, highlighting the team’s discipline and focus.

“Maybe we’ll just follow whatever our coaches observe, whatever they tell us to study, and whatever they say we need to watch, that’s what we’ll do,” said Almendras, a former league Most Valuable Player.

On the other hand, the Ultras are hungry for redemption, relying on gritty players such as Dryx Saavedra, Mikko Espartero and Jelord Talisayan to overturn their elimination-round loss in the tournament supported by ArenaPlus, Mikasa and Alpha Insurance & Surety Company.

Meanwhile, the HD Spikers are looking to settle the score with the Spin Doctors, who handed them their only loss in the preliminaries. On a seven-game winning run, Cignal’s head coach Dexter Clamor is keen to avoid complacency, reminding his team that past victories don’t guarantee future success.

“That’s a big deal for us. We still won’t be complacent going into the semifinals; it doesn’t necessarily mean that just because we’ve beaten the teams that made it to the semis, we’ll automatically win),” Clamor said.

The HD Spikers will lean on star setters like Owa Retamar to activate their hard-hitting arsenal of Louie Ramirez, Jau Umandal and Mark Calado.

The Spin Doctors, however, are no pushovers, with dynamic players like Norwel Sanama, Hero Austria and Sherwin Caritativo ready to make their mark.