By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Galeries Tower sent Nxled crashing back to earth with a stunning 25-19, 17-25, 25-20, 25-21 victory on Thursday, Feb. 19, in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference at the Filoil Centre in San Juan City.
The Highrisers delivered clutch defensive stops particularly in the middle of the fourth set as the Chameleons attempted a late rally but couldn’t break through.
The upset triumph evened Galeries Towers’ record to 2-2, while snapping Nxled’s three-game winning streak and dropping them to 3-1with Cignal.
Erika Deloria led the Highrisers with 16 points fueled by 12 kills and three blocks, while Roselle Baliton added another 16 points highlighted by seven blocks — including key stops down the stretch.
Nxled threatened to extend the match after rallying from a 10-16 deficit to tie it at 18-all, but Galeries Tower never wavered.
Erika Raagas, who came off the bench, sealed the match for the Highrisers with back-to-back kills.
Gayle Pascual also stepped up for Galeries Tower with 13 points, while Jean Asis added 12 including two blocks.
Galeries Tower coach Clarence Esteban lauded the positive response of his stalwarts, who are nursing a straight-set loss to Farm Fresh over the weekend.
“Masaya ako sa ginalaw nila ngayon. Ang ganda nung naging reaksyon nila mula dun sa last game namin. Ginusto talaga nilang manalo,” said Esteban.
Indeed, the Highrisers stifled the Chameleons’s top guns, keeping Myla Pablo off the scoreboard with just three points.
Brooke Van Sickle still stayed red-hot with 21 points, while Chiara Permentilla added 16 off the bench, but their efforts couldn’t turn the tide for Nxled.
