RODRIGUEZ, RIZAL – Quarterfinal-bound Farm Fresh forced a tie for the top spot with ZUS Coffee, overwhelming struggling Galeries Tower in a straight-set sweep, 25-23, 25-13, 25-11, in the 2025 Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference on Saturday night at Ynares Center Montalban here.
The Foxies overcame a resilient Highrisers in a competitive first set before pulling away in the next two to claim their third consecutive victory. The win improved Farm Fresh’s record to 6-1 — matching ZUS Coffee — and strengthened their push for the top seed.
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“Well, what changed is that the team did not want to be yelled at anymore,” said Farm Fresh head coach Alessandro Lodi. “I told [them] before, I know what’s gonna happen — that we’re gonna start a bit slow, waiting for the game to come to us, and that I’d have to wake you up.
“And that’s exactly what happened. It wasn’t great, but we kept working, cleaned things up, and took care of business. That is good. The goal for today was really to keep preparing and keep working,” he added.
Belgian spiker Helene Rousseaux led the charge with 19 points, coming from 13 attacks, three blocks, and three aces, along with seven solid digs. Trisha Tubu supported her with 16 points, 15 of which came from attacks.
Lorene Toring, who earned praise from Lodi after the match, contributed 11 points, including four kill blocks. Alohi Robins-Hardy continued her fine play with 23 excellent sets and five points.
Meanwhile, Alyssa Bertolano added 16 digs and eight excellent receptions in the one-hour, 23-minute victory.
Farm Fresh dominated in all departments, recording 47 attacks, eight blocks, and seven aces while committing just nine errors. In contrast, Galeries Tower managed only 34 kills, a single block, and one ace for the entire match.
While the Foxies have already secured a spot in the playoffs, Lodi reminded his team that there is still work to be done before they can reach their full potential in the quarterfinals.
“We know we’re in the quarterfinals, but we still have a long way ahead of us. Not many games left, but metaphorically speaking, we have a long path and a lot of work still ahead. So this game was just one step,” Lodi said.
Farm Fresh will close out the elimination round against Chery Tiggo EV on Thursday at 4:00 PM at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
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On the other hand, the struggling Highrisers suffered their seventh straight loss in as many games. They remain at the bottom of the overall standings, tied with Nxled.
Montenegrin import Jelena Cvijovic led the team with 12 points, nine excellent receptions, and eight digs, while Ysa Jimenez added nine.
Galeries Tower will aim to end its campaign on a positive note against Capital1 on Thursday at 1:30 PM.
