Nxled weathered a tough battle against Galeries Tower, sweeping the Highrisers in straight sets, 25-23, 25-18, 25-23, to advance to the final round of the play-in and inch closer to the semifinals of the 2026 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference on Saturday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The Chameleons, riding a three-game winning streak, are now set for a crucial clash with Farm Fresh on Tuesday, with a spot in the round-robin semifinals on the line. A win would see them join PLDT and Cignal in the next phase.
But the path to victory was far from smooth.
(C) PVL Images
Galeries Tower fought hard in every set, threatening to extend the match to a fourth frame. Nxled, however, held firm behind clutch performances from Brooke Van Sickle, MJ Phillips, and Myla Pablo in the closing stages.
Erika Deloria, a consistent force for the Highrisers throughout the third set, pierced through two blockers to give her team a 23-21 cushion and a chance to force another set.
Van Sickle quickly answered with a pivotal kill off the block, followed by Musa putting up a roof on Aiza Maizo-Pontillas to tie the score at 23-all. Phillips then delivered an ace, and Van Sickle added another block on Pontillas to seal the 3-0 victory for the Chameleons after one hour and 33 minutes of intense action.
“This is a conference where there’s a lot of alchemy—and it’s a strange one. Playing against Galeries is difficult because they serve very well and have a strong block. Every time we scored a point, they showed toughness,” said Nxled head coach Ettore Guidetti.
The win was a sweet and hard-earned measure of revenge for the Chameleons, who finally got one back against a familiar foe after a painful four-game losing skid that began with a shocking defeat to the same squad last February 19, 19-25, 25-17, 20-25, 21-25.
“We already lost once, and today was a tough match. Maybe not the second set, but in the other sets, they really made it difficult. At the end of the day, we won 3-0, and now we’re moving on to the next part of the conference,” added Guidetti.
Phillips, who missed the preliminary match against Galeries Tower due to a knee issue, made her presence felt, finishing with a game-high 17 points on 13 attacks, three kill blocks, and one ace to power Nxled’s big win.
Team captain Van Sickle added 14 points on 12 attacks and two blocks, along with nine excellent digs, while Pablo contributed 10 points, including back-to-back hits that secured the opening frame.
For the Highrisers, coming off a stunning win over Capital1 in the first round of the play-in, Deloria led with 13 points, 14 excellent receptions, and nine excellent digs.
(C) PVL Images
Jean Asis added 11 points on nine attacks, one ace, and one block, while Roselle Baliton and Pontillas contributed nine and eight markers, respectively, with Baliton also tallying 13 excellent digs.
Julia Coronel dished out 15 excellent sets and added five points on two attacks, two blocks, and one ace in a losing effort.
