The Galeries Tower Highrisers made history on Thursday night, pulling off a stunning upset against the third-seeded Cignal HD Spikers to open the qualifying round of the 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference at the Philsports Arena.
Despite entering as the tenth seed with just one preliminary-round win, the Highrisers showed resilience and teamwork to secure a four-set victory, 25-17, 25-22, 19-25, 25-19, marking their first-ever playoff appearance in franchise history.
“Even though we don’t have those big names, stars sa volleyball, then again dito, isa sa mga goal is magtrabaho kami as a team,” head coach Lerma Giron, whose trust in her squad paid off in their breakthrough performance, said in an interview published on the PVL website.
Ysa Jimenez led the charge with a career-high 23 points—22 coming from attacks—proving to be a key offensive weapon for Galeries. France Ronquillo, who found a home with the Highrisers after stints with Chery Tiggo and Foton, delivered an all-around effort with 20 points on 18 attacks, an ace, and a block, along with 13 excellent receptions.
“Kahit sabihin natin ‘yung pinaka-ace player namin ay non-scoring,” Giron noted, referring to libero Alyssa Eroa—the first-ever Highriser to win an individual award—who provided defensive stability with 28 excellent digs. “Pero ‘pag team effort talaga, ‘yun ‘yung pinaka-goal talaga namin—maglaro as a team.”
Giron, who has been with the team since its PVL debut in 2023, remained firm in her belief that trust and teamwork would be the keys to success.
“Ever since na nag-start ang Galeries, naniniwala ako do’n sa mga players, sa sistema at sa mga coaches, na nandun sa Galeries,” she said. “It’s a milestone for us—for the team, for the players, for the coaches. Sobrang grateful lang ako. Since Day 1 na nag-start, nandun ‘yung tiwala ko sa mga players na kinuha ko, sa mga players kung anong meron kami.”
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