BATANGAS CITY — Jean Asis showed exactly why she was selected second overall by Galeries Tower in the 2025 Premier Volleyball League Draft.
Motivated to prove she was worth the high pick in a loaded draft class, Asis made an immediate impact in her professional debut, delivering an impressive performance in Galeries Tower’s 19-25, 25-13, 22-25, 20-25 loss to Choco Mucho in the PVL On Tour on Saturday night at the Batangas City Sports Center.
The former Far Eastern University standout led the Highrisers with 16 points built on 13 attacks, two kill blocks, and an ace. She also spearheaded Galeries’ dominant second-set response that shook the veteran Flying Titans.
“Siguro ano, dinala ko lang ‘yung, ‘di naman sa dinala, pero siyempre second overall pick [ako]. ‘Yun ‘yung… Parang mataas na ‘yun e. Gusto ko lang i-prove na second overall pick ako, na may dahilan,” said Asis.
“Gusto ko i-prove sa mga tao na kaya ko talaga i-prove ‘yung sarili ko na mag-perform nang maayos sa PVL,” she added.
The 22-year-old middle blocker admitted that while there’s pressure to being the No. 2 pick, she uses it to fuel her drive rather than let it weigh her down.
“May pressure, oo. Pero depende kasi sa tao ‘yun kung paano mo iha-handle. Pero ako, hindi ako masyadong nagpadala sa pressure, mas ginawa ko siyang as motivation kung paano ako mag-peperform,” she explained.
“As a rookie, nandun pa rin ‘yung kaba. Pero in the long run naman, parang naa-adapt ko naman na ‘yung laruan ng PVL. Masaya ako kasi this first game namin with Ates ko, maganda naman ‘yung kinalabasan ng performance so ayun, proud of myself and the team na kinaya naman. Pero ayun, kulang pa rin,” she continued.
(C) PVL Images
Asis said the transition into Galeries’ system has been smooth, thanks to the team’s welcoming environment that helped her settle in quickly.
“Kasi po ‘yung Galeries, mababait talaga ‘yung mga tao. ‘Di lang nakikita ng iba pero mababait talaga sila, even the coaches,” she said.
“Siguro ‘yung paga-adjust ko with the team, madali lang kasi same lang naman kami ng goal, ng personalities, so ayun. Keri lang ‘yung pag-adjust, pag-gel ko sa kanila,” she added.
While some were surprised by Galeries Tower’s decision to select Asis at No. 2 — with names like AC Miner, Tia Andaya, Lyann de Guzman, and Alleiah Malaluan still on the board — head coach Lerma Giron stood firm in her conviction that Asis was the perfect fit.
“Unang-una, bakit hindi si Jean? ‘Di ba?” said Giron with a smile. “Talaga namang very competitive, very aggressive. Ako, nasa coaching staff din ako sa UAAP.
“Talagang superb ‘yung ano ng FEU pagdating sa middle. Pangalawa, ‘yung sitwasyon ng team. Kasi may mga injuries ‘yung middles namin, so kailangan talaga namin ng middle,” she added.
Giron was highly impressed by what she saw from Asis in her first professional match and expressed optimism about what lies ahead for the young middle blocker and the team.
“Siya ‘yung highest sa amin sa puntos, which is unusual. Usually wing spikers ang mataas sa atake, pero as a rookie, tapos middle pa, so maganda ‘yung start talaga. Nakikita natin, looking brighter pa ‘yung future ng Galeries sa kanya.”
#WATCH: Second overall pick Jean Asis is out to prove she belongs with the best in the PVL 🏐
🎥 @jonashdcd /Tiebreaker Times#PVLonTour pic.twitter.com/MVeiyikNFK
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) June 28, 2025
