Highrisers End Skid, Sweep Solar Spikers

CEBU — Galeries Tower ended its four-game losing streak in style, earning its first win in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference with a sweep of Capital1, 26-24, 25-14, 25-23, at the Minglanilla Sports Complex on Saturday night.

The Highrisers displayed resilience in the opening set, capitalizing on miscues and crucial challenges to edge the Solar Spikers in a thrilling finish. Building on that momentum, they dominated the second frame and overcame a late rally in the third to seal the rare straight-sets victory.

The change of venue seemed to energize Galeries Tower, whose one-hour, 41-minute win improved their record to 1-4, tying them with Capital1 for 10th place. Both teams now sit just above the winless Nxled Chameleons, who dropped to 0-5 after falling to the undefeated Cignal HD Spikers earlier in the day.

In the final set, Capital1 mounted a late comeback with a Leila Cruz kill and a Heather Guino-o ace to close the gap at 23-24. However, France Ronquillo rose to the occasion, powering through two blockers for the match-clinching point.

Despite the tense finish, the Highrisers maintained their composure, with Julia Coronel expertly setting up Ronquillo for the decisive kill, securing their first victory of the conference.

Coronel orchestrated the Highrisers’ offense with 10 excellent sets, skillfully involving all her hitters. Her back-to-back aces in the second set were pivotal to Galeries Tower’s dominance.

“Our game plan was to execute what we’ve been practicing,” Coronel said in Filipino. “We’ve been working hard, and we knew we were already competitive. We just needed to find a way to close it out.”

“This win is incredibly special because it’s our first of the conference,” she added. “We hope it’s the start of many more victories.”

Jewel Encarnacion led the team with 11 points, while Ysa Jimenez and Andrea Marzan contributed 10 markers each. Ronquillo matched Coronel’s nine points to highlight the Highrisers’ balanced offensive attack.

For the Solar Spikers, Cruz scored 14 points, with Jorelle Singh and Guino-o adding 10 and five markers, respectively.

The opening set was marked by drama as Galeries Tower won key challenges, including a decisive block touch call that fueled the Highrisers’ bench and fans but left Capital1’s coach, Roger Gorayeb, visibly frustrated.

Galeries Tower outplayed Capital1 in all key scoring categories, leading in spikes (37-31), blocks (9-5), and aces (7-6). The Highrisers also capitalized on 23 points from Capital1’s errors while committing 19 unforced errors of their own.

The win gives Galeries Tower a much-needed confidence boost as they prepare to face the Chery Tiggo Crossovers next Saturday.