Highrisers end long slump

It took Galeries Tower eight months to finally win a regular tournament game in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL).

And boy, it felt so good for the Highrisers.

Galeries Tower players celebrated like it was a championship after Alyssa Bertolano’s attack punched through Akari’s block to seal the Highrisers’ hard-earned first win, 25-22, 26-24, 23-25, 15-25, 15-10, in the PVL Season 10 All-Filipino Conference Siklab series on Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Clarence Esteban-mentored squad snapped a four-game slide to move up to solo eighth place and fuel its drive for a semifinals berth.

Erika Deloria scored five of her 20-point outing in the fifth set as the Highrisers notched their first victory since eliminating Capital in the opening phase of the Play-in Tournament of Season 9 AFC in straight sets back on 24 March.

It was also Galeries Tower’s first taste of triumph since beating Farm Fresh in four sets during the pre-season PVL On Tour Showdown in Batangas on 11 July.

“We’ve been through a lot and this win means a lot for us, because again we come here to compete. We’re training as hard as everybody else to win. We started 0-4 but we don’t want to give up and thankfully we got the win,” said Deloria, who had 18 kills and two aces to go with a game-high 28 excellent receptions.

Deloria, the 20th overall pick during the 2025 Draft out of Enderun Colleges, pumped in five points in the Highrisers’ 7-3 start in the fifth set.

Galeries Tower kept its composure even after the Chargers took the lead 9-8 on a 6-1 counterattack.

Lycha Ebon and Jean Asis teamed up in a blistering 5-0 run to restore order and give the Highrisers a 13-9 advantage. Fifi Sharma stopped Akari’s bleeding but Galeries Tower won’t be denied of victory after sealing the two-hour, 36-minute clash with back-to-back hits.

“I think we just showed our composure. It’s a game and you can’t tell where the momentum will go. At the end of the day, we kept our composure and reminded each other that we have each other’s back,” Deloria said.

Asis had 14 points on 12 attacks and two kill blocks while Bertolano got 12 markers and 14 digs off the bench for the Highrisers, who got 28 free points off the Chargers’ miscues.

“It’s a huge win for us because we’ll build our momentum on this for our next games and motivation for us, knowing that Akari is a strong team but we’re able to beat team. It’s a big boost for the team,” Asis said.

Rookie setter Lams Lamina, this year’s overall Draft pick, tallied 21 excellent sets while libero Dolly Versoza got 14 digs for Galeries Tower.

The Highrisers stole the extended second set by igniting a 7-1 closing run after trailing 19-23 to take a 2-0 match advantage.

Galeries Tower went up, 23-22, in the third frame but Akari fought back with three straight points to avoid a shutout. The Chargers opened a 7-1 lead in the fourth and the Highrisers failed to recover from.

“We just motivated the team that since we got the first two sets, they just have to gut it out until the end. They responded well in the end but again it could’ve been a better result if we got it quicker. Still, a win is a win,” a relieved Esteban said after his team snapped Akari’s back-to-back winning streak.

The Chargers slipped to a 2-3 card tied with Capital1 in sixth to seventh.

Eli Soyud had 24 points on 20 spikes, two aces and two kill blocks to lead Akari. Ivy Lacsina got 11 of her 13 points on attacks and added 12 excellent receptions while Sharma finished with 12 markers.

Faith Nisperos had 10 points and 13 digs in a losing effort.