The Cignal HD Spikers and the Criss Cross King Crunchers are all set to duke it out for the coveted championship in the 2024 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference Finals.
Defending champion Cignal and newly-assembled powerhouse Criss Cross are set to bring their thrilling rivalry to the grand stage of the 2024 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference Finals, where the coveted title hangs in the balance.
The HD Spikers and the King Crunchers emerged from a slugfest of a semifinals, setting the stage for the best-of-three championship series, scheduled to begin on May 8, Wednesday, at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
If their previous encounters would be any indication, the Finals are shaping up to be an intense battle, with both teams fiercely vying for supremacy.
In their first-ever clash back in the preliminaries, Cignal edged out Criss Cross in a hard-fought five-set thriller.
The HD Spikers then seemed on track to reassert their dominance over the King Crunchers when they collided again in the final round-robin match in the semis last Sunday, May 5. However, the Rebisco-backed powerhouse had a different script in mind, mounting an impressive comeback from two sets down to level the score in their head-to-head record.
[RELATED: Spikers’ Turf: Marck Espejo, Criss Cross take Finals slot after overcoming 38 points from Bryan Bagunas in comeback win vs. Cignal]
The hard-earned victory also secured the last Finals berth for Criss Cross, while snapping the 10-game winning streak of erstwhile-unbeaten Cignal.
The result also proved to be a major confidence boost for the King Crunchers, as Marck Espejo delivered his best performance in a Criss Cross uniform with 28 points. They also managed to spoil the conference-best effort of Bryan Bagunas, who poured 38 points in the losing cause.
“Lahat naman nag-step up, nasabayan ng performance, ‘yun ‘yung Criss Cross na sistema — ‘yung nage-enjoy sa loob ng court, no regrets, tapos ‘yun one by one nakukuha ‘yung puntos, tsaka ‘yung panalo,” Espejo said.
Undeterred by the tough defeat, Cignal head coach Dexter Clamor remains steadfast, vowing that his team will rebound from the setback with renewed strength and focus.
“Siguro ‘yung kahit na natalo kami, heads up pa rin kami na lalabas kami ng dugout na alam namin na pasok kami sa Finals. Hindi naman natatapos doon sa 10-0 lang, ‘di ba? Wala kaming talo noong elimination round, supposed to be wala kaming talo sa semifinals kung nanalo kami sa Criss Cross, pero ‘yun pagtatrabahuhan lang namin,” Clamor said.
“Magiging positive kami sa resulta, at magiging positive kami sa magiging output namin going to championship kasi alam namin na mas may kaya pa kami na ilaro ng mas maganda.”
With both Espejo and Bagunas in top form, and with both teams driven to claim the championship, expect another thrilling chapter in this fierce rivalry.