PVL: Galeries hands Nxled its first loss of the All-Filipino Conference

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Galeries Tower Highrisers just scored the biggest upset of the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference so far, shocking the Nxled Chameleons, 25-19, 17-25, 25-20, 25-21, on Feb. 19, 2026, at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

Eager to re-enter the PVL winning column after losing to Farm Fresh in their last scheduled match, the Highrisers embraced the underdog mentality, delivering Nxled’s first-ever loss in four games.

Rose Baliton provided an inspired performance for Galeries as the middle blocker stuffed the stat sheets with 16 points built from 13 successful attacks, including seven big blocks.

The former University of the East (UE) standout was instrumental during Galeries’ fourth-set recovery, scoring huge mano-a-mano blocks on Nxled’s Brooke Van Sickle, which helped the Highrisers break the 18-all deadlock.

Baliton wasn’t done anchoring the Galeries’ defense after swatting away back-to-back attacks from Van Sickle, which gave the Highrisers a much-needed two-point cushion, 22-20.

From that sequence, Baliton’s all-around mastery sparked Galeries, picked up by Erika Raagas, who pummeled two consecutive backrow hits that sealed the deal for the Highrisers.

Nxled nearly stole the momentum after leveling the match at 1-all, gaining back confidence after taking the second set led by the 1-2 punch of Van Sickle and Chiara Permentilla.

However, that second frame proved to be the last time that the Chameleons had things going their way as Galeries weathered the storm with a third-set win to re-establish command at 2-1.

Erika Deloria also stepped up when Galeries needed her the most, backstopping Baliton during the thrilling fourth-set affair.

After an hour and 53 minutes, Deloria chipped in 12 points derived from 10 successful attacks, seven excellent receptions, three service aces, and a block.

On the other hand, Van Sickle led Nxled with 21 points, but Lyann De Guzman and Myla Pablo, who averaged double digits offensively during the team’s 3-0 start, were limited to just four and three markers, respectively.

Galeries will look to sustain its momentum on Feb. 26, 2026, as it goes up against the Choco Mucho Flying Titans, while Nxled aims to rebound on Feb. 24, 2026, against the Akari Power Chargers.