Galeries Tower stands tall

France Ronquillo came up with a 20-hit showing as Galeries Tower posted a straight-sets victory over Farm Fresh, 25-18, 25-23, 25-16, Saturday in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.

The one-hour, 34-minute win provided a big boost for the Highrisers, who had been struggling with back-to-back shutout losses before their clash with the Foxies.

“I can’t describe what I am feeling right now because of the back-to-back defeats that affected our confidence,” said Ronquillo, whom also made five excellent digs and the same number of receptions.

“But we really wanted to win and it’s just a great feeling,” she added.

Though the game didn’t have any effect on the tournament since the two squads have already been eliminated, the win proved meaningful as it raised Galeries Tower’s mark to 3-7, a far cry from their dismal performance last year when it first played in the league.

But it wasn’t only Ronquillo who sparkled but also Audrey Paran, Norielle Ipac and RJ Doromal, who all contributed significantly to the attack.

Renee Mabilangan likewise helped anchor the team’s romp as the National University product came through with 20 excellent sets, out-maneuvering the Foxies’ defense with her brilliant playmaking that had her distributing the ball effectively across the court.

Galeries Tower also not only matched but also surpassed Farm Fresh’s energy and chemistry, tallying 45 attack points to the Foxies’ 32 and producing five aces without response from their opponents.

Doromal added 10 points, Ipac and Paran scored eight points apiece, and Andrea Marzan also played a supportive role with six points.

Galeries Tower will next face Petro Gazz on 20 April for its final game in the season-opening conference.

“This win showed that the team is showing chemistry and we hope we could once again play our game next time,” Ronquillo said.

Farm Fresh, which shocked Chery Tiggo last month, and dragged Nxled to a five-set battle before yielding last Tuesday, dropped to 2-8.

Chinnie Arroyo and Trisha Tubu scored eight points apiece.