Deloria finally gets her due

Erika Deloria’s long wait is over.

After winding up winless in four games, Deloria scored 20 points on 18 attacks and two aces to lead Galeries Tower past Akari last 3 November in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference Siklab series at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Victories have been hard to come by ever since Deloria joined the Highrisers, but forged by her experiences, she keeps showing up, knowing favorable results will soon come their way.

After being swept by Farm Fresh in its opener, Galeries Tower lost three more games via four-setters before finally getting over the hump.

For her exemplary role in the Akari victory, the 5-foot-7 outside spiker was named the PVL Press Corps Player of the Week for the period of 3 to 7 November.

With that crucial victory, the Highrisers moved to 1-4 at eighth place but could be the spark they were waiting badly for to jump in the heated race to the semifinals.

For the 2025 PVL Draft 20th overall pick, as long as you put in the work, the wins will follow.

“I think if you want to be a champion, you have to go through tough times. If you can survive them, I believe that you can overcome hardships because you have to be mentally tough,” Deloria said.

“Even if you don’t feel like training because your team just lost, you have to show up. You gotta be strong.”

After the disbandment of Chery Tiggo, the team that drafted her, Deloria signed with Galeries Tower in January this year, winning just three of their 11 games in the All-Filipino Conference ruled by Creamline in April.

That was part of the experiences that made her stronger and unfazed even after their 0-4 start this ongoing conference.