The AEP Cabstars are gearing up with a new weapon in their arsenal as they prepare to face the undefeated Criss Cross in the second round of the 2026 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference.
In their first-round clash on March 1, the King Crunchers handed AEP a tough 25-20, 29-27, 25-15 sweep. At the time, the Cabuyao-based squad was still without newly-acquired wing spiker Jared Schnake.
Schnake, a Filipino-American product of UC Merced in California and a former Cignal player, officially joined the Cabstars on March 6 against Savouge Aesthetics. Since then, he has quickly established himself as a key contributor in AEP’s campaign, impressing in his first few outings in the season-opening conference organized by Sports Vision and supported by Alpha Insurance, Black Mamba, Premiere EMS, and ArenaPlus.
The 6-foot-1 spiker wasted no time making an impact, scoring in double digits in each of his first three games. He tallied 10 points in his debut during a 22-25, 21-25, 16-25 loss to Savouge, followed by 15 points in a 25-20, 25-20, 25-21 victory over 3B. Most recently, Schnake added 14 points in a 25-18, 25-19, 25-22 sweep of VNS Always Bright Laticrete at the Filoil Centre.
Looking ahead to Wednesday’s showdown with Criss Cross, Schnake hopes to be the x-factor that gives the King Crunchers their first defeat of the conference.
“I’ll just play my part for the team. I’m excited to play Criss Cross, they haven’t lost at all so let’s see if we can give them their first loss,” said Schnake.
Head coach Kitty Antiporta shares the same optimism, pointing out how Schnake strengthens AEP’s attacking and blocking — areas that were a problem against Criss Cross in their first meeting.
“Malaking addition sa amin si Jared in terms of attacking and blockings kasi yun yung naging problema namin against Criss Cross nung first round. Yung opposite nila talagang namihasa doon sa atake nila. Sana mapaganda kasi malalaki ang Criss Cross eh so kailangan din namin ng malalaking players. Hopefully makatulong sa amin si Jared,” said Antiporta.
Despite his impressive scoring, Schnake admits he is not yet at his peak, having returned to action only two weeks ago. Originally planning to take a break this conference, he was drawn back by his love for volleyball and the presence of former Cignal teammates Jay Rack Dela Noche, EJ Casaña, Vince Abrot, Nas Gwaza, and Vince Lorenzo on the Cabstars roster.
“I was just gonna take a break for a little bit for this conference but I was like I miss volleyball so I came back, well my old teammates are on this team so it’s easy to come back,” Schnake said.
With Schnake now in the fold, AEP looks ready to challenge Criss Cross and shake up the race in the Spikers’ Turf Open Conference.
