Criss Cross needed every ounce of its championship composure to survive a determined VNS-Laticrete side, rallying from a 1-2 set deficit before escaping with a thrilling 25-19, 23-25, 22-25, 25-23, 15-13 victory to clinch a semifinals berth in the 2026 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference on Sunday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.

The defending champion King Crunchers strengthened their hold on the top spot, extending their unbeaten run to seven games and keeping their perfect record intact at 7-0 in the tournament organized by Sports Vision.

However, the victory hardly came easy for Criss Cross, which struggled to find its rhythm as 26 unforced errors allowed the Griffins to stay within striking distance and take a 2-1 set lead.

The King Crunchers showed their composure when it mattered most, fighting back to claim the fourth set before holding off VNS in a tightly contested decider to seal the victory after more than two hours of play.

Despite falling behind early in the deciding set, the Griffins refused to go down quietly as Jau Umandal caught fire, hammering down back-to-back attacks before capping his personal 3-0 run with an emphatic block on Jude Garcia to knot the score at 9-all.

Garcia, however, had an answer of his own, unleashing a personal 3-0 run in an intense exchange with Umandal to restore Criss Cross’ three-point cushion at 12-9.

(C) Spikers Turf Images

Umandal continued his scoring spree, while Noel Kampton took over from Garcia on the other side as the two teams traded blows in a tense closing stretch, with the King Crunchers eventually moving within a point of victory at 14-11.

In a last-ditch effort to keep their upset bid alive, setter Howard Guerra switched positions and delivered back-to-back hits to bring VNS within a point at 13-14. But Kim Malabunga put an end to the Griffins’ rally, sending a floating ball over the net to seal the victory and Criss Cross’ semifinals berth.

“Siguro ano lang, inaasahan din naman talaga namin na lahat ng teams eh makikipag-compete sa’min to the highest level kaya kailangan talaga naming trabahuhin every point, ‘wag talaga kami dapat mag-relax,” said Garcia.

“Knowing naman lahat ng teams, prepared naman talaga. Kailangan talaga naming trabahuhin pa at doblehin lahat ng ginagawa namin kapag naglalaro kami para ‘di na maulit-ulit ‘yung kagaya nung ngayon,” he added.

Garcia led the King Crunchers’ fightback with 19 points, including 15 attacks and four of the team’s 18 kill blocks, while Kampton contributed 18 markers despite sitting out the first two sets.

Jaron Requinton added 12 points, while Malabunga chipped in 10, including three blocks. Nico Almendras, meanwhile, delivered an all-around performance with five points, 20 excellent receptions, and five excellent digs.

Adrian Villados orchestrated the offense with 16 excellent sets to go along with three points.

Criss Cross will look to keep its perfect record intact when it takes on 3B on Wednesday at 1 p.m. at the same venue.

(C) Spikers Turf Images

Meanwhile, VNS closed its campaign with a fourth consecutive defeat despite pushing the defending champions to the limit, finishing with a 2-7 record.

Julius Arcillo turned in his best performance of the tournament with 26 points on 20 attacks, three aces, and three blocks, while veteran Umandal tallied 25 points on 22 attacks and three kill blocks. He also chipped in 24 excellent receptions and eight excellent digs.

Guerra dished out 24 excellent sets to go along with six points, while libero Joshua Cruz registered 30 excellent receptions.

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Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Abdulhakeem Uthman Mustapha and former NFF executive committee member Chris Green are now confirmed to be on the NFF Normalisation Committee to soon be announced.

Several checks by SCORENigeria confirmed the membership of AU Mustapha and Green.

Mustapha, a SAN since 2016, will head the committee and he has long been involved with Nigerian football as well as CAF.

They will be part of a five-man committee that also includes former Super Eagles star Daniel Amokachi.

Amokachi has been appointed ahead of fellow Super Eagles star Sunday Oliseh.

The Normalisation Committee, whose tenure will end on May 31, 2027, will reform Nigerian football following the resignation in September of the NFF executive committee led by Ibrahim Gusau.

Nigerian football has been plagued by corruption, poor structures, marginalisation of critical stakeholders as well as recent poor results by the country’s top teams.

The post CONFIRMED: Mustapha, Green on Normalisation Committee first appeared on Score Nigeria.

Savannah Davison is bracing for a tough test against a determined Choco Mucho side in a crucial showdown that could make or break PLDT’s semifinals hopes in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference Siklab Series.

The High Speed Hitters were in a favorable position in the tightly contested semifinals race, but saw their bid for a fourth consecutive win fall short against Farm Fresh last Tuesday. They quickly regained their footing, however, with a 25-13, 25-23, 23-25, 25-18 victory over Galeries Tower on Saturday to keep their playoff hopes firmly alive.

Now tied with Choco Mucho at 4-3, the High Speed Hitters’ chances of securing a top-four finish hinge on their final elimination-round assignment against the Flying Titans on Thursday at 6 p.m. at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

Davison, however, expects no easy passage against the Flying Titans, who are coming off a confidence-boosting victory over longtime tormentors Creamline.

(C) PVL Images

“I think coming off their win, they’re also motivated, and I think today makes us tied in the rankings. I think we know that they are coming in strong, and this is also motivation for us,” said the Fil-Canadian hitter, who finished with 21 points against the Highrisers.

“So, I think we really have to dive in on our side especially, and kind of work on the things that we need to work on, and not so much focus on their side, but how we can play to our full potential coming off this game,” she added.

Meanwhile, Davison said PLDT received a timely boost with the return of head coach Rald Ricafort, who missed the High Speed Hitters’ three-game winning streak after falling ill.

Assistant coach Arnold Laniog handled the coaching duties during Ricafort’s absence and has continued to call the plays even after the head coach’s return, giving the squad another reliable voice on the sidelines.

Davison welcomed Ricafort’s return, saying that having both coaches involved provides the team with different perspectives and more options for making adjustments depending on the opponent.

“It’s nice to have Coach Rald back because instead of one head coach, parang lahat sila, they’re all helping us. Regardless of anong perspective they’re giving us, they’re providing information and letting us adjust depending sa team,” said Davison.

Ultimately, Davison stressed the importance of keeping everyone on the same page, believing that a united team with a shared understanding and direction would be a much tougher opponent to beat.

“Because if we’re all on the same page, if we’re all ready to compete, I feel like we can give anyone a hard time. So, it’s really up to us and how our preparation goes this week, and hopefully we come prepared.”

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