WHATTA WIN

Games Tuesday:

(Mall of Asia Arena)

4 p.m. — Farm Fresh vs Cignal

6:30 p.m. — Creamline

vs Choco Mucho

Galeries Tower refused to let the day pass without ending a nearly yearlong losing skid.

Showing grit and composure in the endgame, the rejigged Highrisers did just that by outworking ZUS Coffee in a marathon, 25-20, 25-22, 23-25, 22-25, 15-10, victory in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference Saturday at the Ynares Center-Montalban.

Sophomore setter Julia Coronel anchored Galeries Tower’s first win under new coach Aying Esteban following a roster reset during the season break to snap a 17-game, 345-day drought.

The Alas Pilipinas playmaker dished out 16 excellent sets, effectively activating the Highrisers’ wings and middle blockers for a balanced scoring effort.

“Very happy that we got this win,” said Coronel, who added eight points as Galeries Tower improved to a 1-1 win-loss card.

“This team went through a lot. There were a lot of changes and it’s our first win with this very new team, with our new coaches and our new system. Finally, all our hard work paid off.”

Galeries Tower broke an 8-8 deadlock in the tightly contested fifth set with five straight unanswered points capped by a successful challenge over an overreach by Thunderbelles middle Thea Gagate for a 13-8 advantage.

Gagate answered with a quick attack, but Erika Raagas, who came off the bench to play only in the deciding frame, scored a kill to put the Highrisers at match point.

She, however, sent her service long before Jean Asis cleaned it up with a hit that ZUS Coffee unsuccessfully challenged.  

“We’re all happy that the effort we put in despite such a short time together yielded good results and they react well to the system we’re using. So very happy with the result today,” Esteban said of the franchise’s first win since scoring a 25-17, 25-22, 19-25, 25-19, upset of Cignal in the qualifying round of last season’s edition for a historic quarter final stint back on 27 February 2025. 

Erika Deloria scored 17 of her 18 points on attacks and tallied 15 excellent receptions for Galeries Tower while Gayle Pascual also logged 18 points from 16 kills, an ace and a kill block against her former team.

Aiza Maizo-Pontillas turned back the hands of time and came up with a vintage 11-point, 17-dig performance while Asis punched 10 points for the Highrisers. Dolly Versoza did a good job on floor defense with 22 digs and 14 receptions.

Galeries Tower flirted with disaster after squandering a 2-0 match lead.

The Highrisers built a 6-3 lead to start the deciding frame, only to allow the Thunderbelles to tie it at 8 after a Gagate quick hit.

Chinnie Arroyo finished with 20 points from 17 spikes, two kill blocks and an ace in an all-around effort that still came short of saving ZUS Coffee from going down to 0-2.

Riza Nogales had 17 points, including four of the Thunderbelles’ 12 kill blocks. Gagate and Jovelyn Gonzaga added 13 points while Wielyn Estoque posted 10 points in a losing cause.