Galeries Tower sizzled early before delivering a strong knockout punch to pull off a stunning 25-17, 25-22, 19-25, 25-19 win over Cignal in qualifying round of the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference on Thursday at the Philsports Arena.
Ysa Jimenez roared, dropping a game-high 23 points built on 22 attacks and a block to power the Highrisers to their first-ever quarterfinal appearance while sending the HD Spikers to the play-in tournament.
France Ronquillo provided support with 18 kills, a block and an ace for a 20-hit effort while Jewel Encarnacion added 11 markers for the Highrisers, who finished the preliminaries at 10th place with a single win in 11 matches to book a qualifying round duel with third-seed HD Spikers.
Out of the four conferences they played, the Highrisers finished 11th twice and 10th once.
Jimenez, a former University of Santo Tomas star, heaved a sigh of relief, admitting that she couldn’t believe that they can shock the mighty HD Spikers.
“I don’t have much to say, I’m just really happy,” said Jimenez, shortly after learning that she was chosen as Player of the Game.
“Of course, it’s not just about me — if there’s a Player of the Game, why not all of us?”
“All the hard work was worth it. If only you knew everything we went through. As they say, everything happens for a reason.”
Galeries Tower head coach Lerma Giron echoed Jimenez’s statement while expressing gratitude to her team’s hard work, perseverance and ability to rise despite the great odds stacked against them.
“Floating in heaven. Very grateful. Every tear, drop of blood, and sweat was worth it because of everything we went through before this game,” Giron said, stressing that they carefully studied Cignal to determine the ways how they can pull off such massive upset.
“But it’s all part of the process — we really studied Cignal’s movements. Thank you, Lord. All glory to God.”
The Highrisers dominated the first two sets, leading by as many as eight points, 19-13, in the opener before storming to a commanding 15-5 start in the second frame, leaving the HD Spikers struggling to mount a meaningful comeback.
Cignal, however, refused to go down without a fight, taking a dominant 25-19 win in the third set before Galeries regrouped and closed out the match in the fourth.
The Highrisers will begin their quarterfinals campaign on 15 March against the winner of the Akari-Farm Fresh duel.
Vanie Gandler led Cignal with 17 points, while rookie Ishie Lalongisip posted an all-around effort with 13 points, 12 excellent digs, and 11 excellent receptions. Jackie Acuña also chipped in 13 markers.
Gel Cayuna distributed 21 excellent sets and added eight points, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the upset.
Cignal also suffered a major setback early in the fourth set when Jovelyn Fernandez went down with an apparent neck injury after a collision with Lalongisip during a dig attempt.
The HD Spikers will now enter the play-in stage, where they will battle for one of the last two quarterfinals spots.