Inspired by the Highrisers’ historic quarterfinals entry in the Premier Volleyball League, the Galeries Tower Skyrisers made a strong comeback in the 2025 Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (WMPBL) last Sunday.
After suffering a 67-74 loss to Discovery Perlas — their first defeat of the tournament — the Skyrisers took out their frustrations on Far Eastern University, winning 63-46 at the FEU Diliman Sports Complex to boost their playoff chances.
Galeries head coach Ai Lebornio shared that the team drew motivation from the Highrisers’ stunning 25-17, 25-22, 19-25, 25-19 upset over third-ranked Cignal in the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference qualifying round, which secured the franchise’s first-ever playoff appearance.
(C) PVL Images
“Yes, sobra,” said Lebornio enthusiastically. “Sobrang motivated kaming lahat. Siyempre one team kami eh, one company kami, so lahat kami motivated.
“Isipin mo coming from nothing, nandon na sila sa quarterfinals. So ibig sabihin, bilog ang bola.”
The PVL team’s victory seemed to reinvigorate the Skyrisers, who took control in the fourth quarter by locking down on defense and executing their offense with precision, ultimately sealing the win.
Princess Fabruada led the charge with 18 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Meanwhile, team captain Ambie Almazan posted a double-double of 14 points, despite struggling with her shooting, and 11 rebounds.
(C) WMPBL
“Sabi ko nga sa mga players, hindi tayo matatapos sa isang pagkatalo lang. Kailangan mag-bounce back tayo, look at the Galeries volleyball team. ‘Yun ang naging inspiration namin sa panalo ngayon.”
The loss to Perlas, according to Lebornio, offered the team valuable perspective and pushed them to train even harder. They realized the importance of improving their focus and teamwork in order to compete at a higher level.
“Dun sa nangyari sa’min, mas lalo kaming naging maingat sa mga (ginagawa) namin. Planong magpursigi ng mga bata, so in two months time na nagensayo kami, mas lalo pa naming hinigpitan sa training,” said Lebornio.
“Mas nag-focus kami don sa mga small things na kailangan naming baguhin. Para at least ma-improve namin ngayon. Sabi nga namin sa kanila, hindi tayo pwedeng mag-relax kasi everybody wants na matalo tayo. Kailangan magtrabaho tayo.”
The Skyrisers now turn their attention to their final two elimination-round games against the Pilipinas Aguilas and Cavite-TOL, as they aim to emulate the Highrisers’ success and secure a spot in the playoffs.
