By Jean Malanum
MANILA – Ish Polvorosa’s impressive showing in the Spikers’ Turf Open Conference semifinals helped Criss Cross make the championship round for the third time.
The King Crunchers, unbeaten in 13 games, will face the defending champion Cignal HD Spikers in the best-of-three finals starting Wednesday, aiming to finally bring home the crown after back-to-back runner-up finishes.
Polvorosa set the tone for Criss Cross’ 25-19, 25-20, 25-16 win over downed VNS-Laticrete on March 26 with 13 excellent sets to go with three points and six digs.
On Sunday, the former Ateneo de Manila playmaker came up with 27 sets as the King Crunchers pulled off a 25-22, 19-25, 25-18, 25-21 victory over the HD Spikers
For his effort, Polvorosa was voted Press Corps Player of the Week for the period of March 26 to 30.
“Personally and for the team, these 13 games, they’re all erased. I don’t care about what happened in the last 13 games. I’m looking forward and very focused on the fact that we’re going to the Finals next week,” the 27-year-old setter said in a news release Monday.
“It all boils down to those two or three games. We’re going to take it one game at a time, one skill and one point at a time. I think that’s how we can progress toward our goal of winning the championship,” Polvorosa added.
He bested teammate Nico Almendras, Cignal’s Steven Rotter and Savouge’s Mark Calado for the weekly citation given by journalists covering the league streamed live and on-demand via the Pilipinas Live app and on www.spikersturf.ph.
“There’s pressure for both of us, but I think we’re still the underdogs here. We didn’t win against them last year, so this is the perfect opportunity for us to grab that championship,” Polvorosa, who was also named Player of the Week March 5 to 9, said.
“We need to keep building on what we’ve been doing, stay focused, and have the courage to finally take this title. We respect Cignal so much, and we know they won’t go down without a fight. That’s why we’re preparing for them just as much.” (PNA)
