Galeries Tower standing tall

Galeries Tower’s epic win over title-favorite and erstwhile unbeaten Nxled is more than just the 2026 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference’s biggest upset to date.

For the Highrisers, it’s a testament of the club’s commitment to flip the narrative and tip the balance of power.

Despite coming off a sweeping loss in the previous game, a new look Galeries Tower shocked the powerhouse Chameleons — and the rest of the field — with a stirring 25-19, 17-25, 25-20, 25-21 victory Thursday night at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

Winless in the Reinforced Conference, the Highrisers are now in the middle of the pack with a 2-2 win-loss record tied with Capital1.

“It’s an overwhelming feeling. The team has gone through too much. This could be the start for us to build a winning culture,” said veteran middle blocker Roselle Baliton, one of only a handful of holdovers from the previous team.

“We’re proven to ourselves that we can bring into the game what we’ve been working hard for in training.”

Baliton scored 16 points, including seven from kill blocks. Erika Deloria backed her up with 16 markers while Gayle Pascual and rookie Jean Asis added 13 and 12 points, respectively.

The Highrisers had a reset after the import-laden tournament, retaining only Baliton, setter Julia Coronel, Winne Bedana and Asis.

Despite playing under a new system with head coach Aying Esteban, the rebuilding Galeries Tower has taken the reward of its collective effort.

So far, the Highrisers have beaten the previous conference’s runner-up, ZUS Coffee, and a team composed of the core of the Reinforced Conference champion and last year’s AFC winner, Petro Gazz, which took a leave of absence.

“It’s simply a team effort. We stand united. It shows what we could accomplish if we work together and stay on the same page. As they say, the ball is round. So, we just keep on fighting,” Baliton added.

Esteban also lauded his players’ determination to pocket a morale-boosting win.

“Of course, very happy with how we played today despite coming off a straight sets loss. They responded well with the adjustments from offense, defense and passing. They just wanted to win,” he said.

Galeries Tower will try to make it two in a row in a match against struggling Choco Mucho on Thursday.