Cignal sweeps Criss Cross in Game 3 of Spikers Turf finals, clinches third straight title

Two wins outweigh four losses. 

This was the battle cry for Cignal as it finally got over the hump against the favored Criss Cross, cruising to a 25-22, 25-16, 28-26 Game 3 win to reign supreme in the 2025 Spikers' Turf Open Conference on Sunday at the PhilSports Arena. 

The win allowed the HD Spikers to solve the puzzle that was the King Crunchers, who have beaten them four times this season alone. Top-seeded Criss Cross edged them out twice in the elimination round, once in the single-round semifinals stage, and another one in Game 2 of the finals that forced a sudden death.

But when it mattered most, the battle-tested Cignal showed what champions are made of. 

Louie Ramirez and Steven Rotter formed a one-two punch for Cignal with both players posting 15 points while Lloyd Josafat and Wendel Miguel each finished with eight markers to deliver their third straight Open Conference crown. 

Cignal once found itself down by four in the crucial third set after Chumason Ngijha brought the King Crunchers to a 19-15 cushion. But Cignal didn't press the panic button as Jau Umandal, who didn't actually see action in the entire second set, provided the spark off the bench. 

The former UST standout knocked down three straight points, including a rejection on Njigha to tie things up at 23-all. Both teams traded points until Marck Espejo unleashed a power spike that gave Criss Cross the set point, 26-25. 

Espejo, however, went wide on his next attack while Josafat denied him in the succeeding play that allowed Cignal to secure a 27-26 championship point. 

Rotter then finished the job, soaring from the back row to unload the dagger as Criss Cross libero Manuel Sumanguid couldn't control the ball and sent it to the crowd. 

Criss Cross, which swept the elimination round and the semifinals before bowing to Cignal in the finals round, relied on Jude Garcia's 12-point outing. Jaron Requinton finished with nine markers as Espejo posted six off the bench.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News