Kindai University of Japan shocked the erstwhile-unbeaten Criss Cross with a 25-22, 25-22, 19-25, 25-22 victory for a 2-0 start in the Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference semifinal round on Saturday at FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
Masakazu Kawano and Yoshiki Yasuda led the Japanese collegiate team in ending the eight-game unbeaten run of Criss Cross to tie Savouge Aesthetics on top of the standings, where the top two will clash in a winner-take-all final on November 29.
Masakazu unleashed 18 points, while Yoshiki had 17 points from a 16-of-31 attacking clip to go with 19 excellent receptions and eight digs.
More than learning from the Spikers’ Turf club, Kindai coach Hideyuki Mitsuyama hopes to showcase the Japanese style of play in their week-long stay in Manila.
‘From what I see, volleyball is more popular in Asia, especially the men’s volleyball in Japan,’ said the Japanese coach. ‘I want to help spread better volleyball even more.’
Haruka Misugi also shone with 14 points, 17 receptions, and seven digs, as setter Yuu Kubota had 28 excellent sets.
Kindai eyes a third win against University of Santo Tomas-Gameville on Monday at 1 p.m.
Criss Cross dropped to a 1-1 record, failing to sustain its momentum from a five-set win over defending champion Cignal less than 24 hours ago.
Jude Garcia carried the cudgels with 21 points, while Popoy Colinares and Nico Almendras had 14 and 12 points, respectively.
Criss Cross seeks to bounce back against the winless ProVolleyball Academy also on Monday at 5 p.m.