Galeries Tower first win of the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference finally arrived on Tuesday, and it took five sets to get there. The Highrisers outlasted Akari, 25-22, 26-24, 23-25, 15-25, 15-10, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The victory closes out a brutal opening stretch for Galeries Tower, which had lost its first four assignments to Farm Fresh, Creamline, Nxled and Choco Mucho. It also stops the momentum of a Chargers side the report describes as previously streaking.
Galeries Tower first win comes after four straight losses
Head coach Aying Esteban now has a win on the board for the conference, and it came from a roster that kept producing when the match swung away from them. Galeries took the first two sets, then watched Akari grab the third and fourth to force a decider.
Erika Deloria powers the five-set escape
Erika Deloria led the way with a team-high 20 points, built on 18 attacks and two aces, and she also registered 28 receptions. Jean Asis added 14 points and Alyssa Bertolano contributed 12 for the Highrisers.
The fifth set turned on a short burst. Galeries erased a slim 9-8 deficit and moved ahead 11-9 when Asis completed a drop ball from the middle, giving the Highrisers a two-point cushion at the most useful moment.
Lycha Ebon then converted back-to-back points to push the gap to 13-9. Bertolano finished the job with the last two points from the left wing, closing out the match and ending Akari's surge.
This report is based on the original coverage by gmanetwork.com.
