In less than 24 hours, Cignal head coach Shaq Delos Santos and Galeries Tower mentor Lerma Giron went from working together at the University of Santo Tomas in the UAAP to facing each other as opponents in a high-stakes Premier Volleyball League (PVL) match last week.
Delos Santos and Giron had just helped guide the Golden Tigresses to a thrilling five-set victory over De La Salle University the night before the HD Spikers-Highrisers qualifying round match-up in the 2025 PVL All-Filipino Conference.
Heading into the match, third-seeded Cignal was heavily favored to breeze past tenth-seeded Galeries, a team that had struggled throughout the tournament, managing just one win in 11 outings.
On paper, it seemed like a straightforward path for the HD Spikers. But Giron and her squad had other plans, delivering a shocking upset that left her good friend pale and stunned.
In one of the biggest upsets in league history, Galeries stunned Cignal in four sets, 25-17, 25-22, 19-25, 25-19, securing its first-ever playoff appearance since joining the league in 2023.
“Muntik na ako mahimatay. Namutla ako — sa itim kong ‘to, namutla (ako),” Delos Santos said, drawing laughter from the media inside the press room as he recalled the shocking outcome.
Despite the stinging loss, Delos Santos gave full credit to Giron and the Highrisers for their outstanding performance — one that even led to a celebratory treat from the winning coach, thanks to some playful prodding from UST head coach Kungfu Reyes.
“Siguro yung relationship naman namin pagdating sa UST, respetuhan. And then, ‘yun nanlibre kasi siya eh. Sabi ko nga, di ko nga alam kung kakain ko ‘to kasi kahit ata asukal yung kainin ko, mapait pa rin yung lasa. ‘De joke lang,” said the former national team coach.
“Kidding aside, ayun, kinulit-kulit kasi siya ni Coach Kungfu… And kahit anong request namin, binibigay niya that day. So okay naman.”
(C) Neo Garcia/UAAP Season 86 Media Team
Delos Santos acknowledged that Galeries Tower’s breakthrough victory was a testament to the relentless effort the team had put in over the past year — a journey made possible under the steady guidance and leadership of Giron.
“Well, yung respect naman laging nandiyan sa aming lahat. Kami naman… I think deserve din nila ‘yun that day, kasi grabe din talaga yung nilaro nila. Parang ang good thing sa kanila, never din kasi nila pinalitan yung routine kahit ano ‘man result ng game,” he explained.
“And that day, lumabas lahat kung ano yung in-invest nila before. Kami rin nagulat kung paano sila naglaro, pero pwede talaga siya mangyari. So ‘yung leadership din ni coach Lerma, kung paano niya i-guide yung players niya, yung system niya… Sa amin, siyempre deep inside, masakit din sa amin ‘yon, pero sabi ko nga, kailangan namin tanggapin.”
As for Delos Santos and the HD Spikers, they quickly bounced back from the loss, defeating Capital1 in four sets, 25-21, 22-25, 25-17, 25-15, in Pool A of the play-in tournament.
With the sting of their defeat to Galeries now eased by a much-needed win over the Solar Spikers, Delos Santos hopes his team can build on the momentum as they head into a crucial clash against ZUS Coffee — a match that will determine their shot at facing Petro Gazz in the quarterfinals.
“Sabi ko kanina, napakagandang panalo. Blessing ‘tong pagkapanalo namin. Kasi eto talaga ‘yung kailangan namin, not totally (para) makalimutan, pero lesson learned na lang sa amin,” he said.
“Siyempre, number one, kailangan mapanalo namin siya para makapasok kami sa quarterfinals. But then again, kailangan muna ulit namin mag-recover and mag-prepare talaga nang mabuti. Kasi ‘yung tao namin konti lang, pero ‘yung tiwala namin sa players at sa sistema namin, ibabalik lang din namin.”
