In one of the biggest shockers in PVL history, tenth-seeded Galeries Tower pulled off a seismic upset, stunning third-ranked Cignal, 25-17, 25-22, 19-25, 25-19, to punch their ticket to the quarterfinals of the 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference, Thursday at the Philsports Arena.
Making their first-ever playoff appearance, the Highrisers not only defied the odds but also claimed their first franchise victory over the powerhouse HD Spikers—sending shockwaves through the league.
For head coach Lerma Giron, the emotional triumph was the culmination of months of struggle and sacrifice.
“Floating in heaven… very grateful—worth it lahat ng aming mga luha, dugo, at pawis kasi grabe ‘yung pinagdaanan namin before ‘tong game na ‘to. So nag-start ‘yung January, puro talo, talo, talo. We came into realization na teka, ‘di pwede ‘tong ganito. Pero proseso talaga lahat, pinag-aralan din talaga namin ‘yung galaw ng Cignal. So ‘yun, Thank You Lord, all glory to God,” Giron said, her voice filled with emotion.
(C) PVL Images
Ysa Jimenez and France Ronquillo led the way in the historic win, lifting Galeries to its long-awaited breakthrough.
Jimenez delivered a career-best performance, exploding for a game-high 23 points, including 22 attacks. Ronquillo backed her up with 20 points built on 18 attacks, an ace, and a block, while also contributing 13 excellent receptions.
Rookie Jewel Encarnacion made her presence felt with 11 points and 13 excellent receptions, while Roselle Baliton and Andrea Marzan chipped in eight points apiece.
Defensive specialist Alyssa Eroa anchored the floor defense with 28 excellent digs, while Fhen Emnas, who replaced Julia Coronel in the fourth set, stepped up with 14 excellent sets and 10 excellent digs.
Galeries pulled away late in the fourth set, with Encarnacion and Baliton igniting a 3-0 run that stretched their 19-13 lead to 22-15. From there, the Highrisers remained in control, with Baliton, Marzan, and Ronquillo sealing the victory after two hours and six minutes of play.
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.
(C) PVL Images
The Highrisers will begin their quarterfinals campaign on March 15, facing the winner of the Akari-Farm Fresh matchup.
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.
