Alyssa Eroa was brought to tears as the Galeries Tower Highrisers pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Premier Volleyball League history on Thursday night.
Galeries, which finished the preliminaries with a 1-10 record and entered as the 10th seed, stunned third-seeded Cignal in four sets, 25-17, 25-22, 19-25, 25-19, in the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference qualifying round.
The victory secured the franchise’s first-ever playoff appearance.
The reigning Reinforced Conference Best Libero broke down in tears after the match, embracing her teammates as the weight of their struggles over the past year finally sank in.
“Parang ang dami-dami pong laro na puwedeng ipanalo, bakit ito pa ‘yung mas ginusto namin ipanalo. Marami po talaga kaming pinagdaanan,” Eroa shared in the post-match press conference.
Since joining the league in 2023, the Highrisers had never finished outside the bottom two.
They placed 10th in the 2023 Second All-Filipino, 11th in the 2024 All-Filipino, and 10th in the 2024 Reinforced Conference.
But with this breakthrough victory, they are now assured of at least an eighth-place finish—already their best performance in franchise history.
(C) PVL Images
When asked about her emotional reaction, Eroa said she was simply overwhelmed with joy, knowing the Highrisers had finally proven their worth after enduring countless heartbreaks.
“Malalim po talaga ‘yung pinagdaanan namin kaya po ‘yung hugot namin sa laro na ito, binigay namin lahat. Sobrang emotional lang talaga kasi parang napakita namin sa mga tao, sa mga naniniwala sa amin, sa management, tsaka sa coaches na meron kaming mapatunayan,” she said.
It has been a long and difficult road for the Highrisers, a team often overlooked due to its lack of firepower.
But Eroa, a two-time NCAA Best Libero, never lost faith. She always believed that their heart, grit, and relentless work would eventually lead to a moment like this.
“Umpisa pa lang po, hindi kaduda-duda ‘yung teammates or team namin. Talagang nandun ‘yung tiwala namin sa isa’t isa pero ‘yun nga po, laging kinakapos sa dulo. Pero sobrang proud ako sa teammates ko tsaka coaches namin kasi nailaban namin itong qualifying round,” she said.
