PVL: Galeries takes down Capital1 to advance in play-ins

MANILA, March 25 ------ Galeries Tower took out the sunshine from Capital1, 25-20, 25-16, 30-28, to advance in the step-ladder of the play-in tournament in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference at the Filoil Centre in San Juan. It took a dramatic ending, with both teams switching set point and match point advantages late in Set 3. However, it was Highrisers who prevailed, as Gayle Pascual found the sharp spike in the middle to clinch the win.

Before that, Jean Asis and Julia Coronel took turns in carrying Galeries — just as Bella Belen was keeping her team alive. Belen poured everything she had after her squad fell down a 20-23 hole, leading Capital1 with a 5-1 run, with four attacks coming from her to reach set point, 25-24. She, however, committed an attack error that squandered the lead at 25-apiece.

Ypril Tapia rose to the occasion with a timely hit at 27-26, but that's when Asis and Coronel nailed and attack and an ace, respectively, to steal the driver's seat once more. Belen kept Capital1 in the hunt with a backrow hit, 28-all, but Asis read the Capital1 offense correctly — she knew where exactly the Solar Spikers would go.

The 2025 PVL Draft number two overall selection denied the top pick on the net for a 29-28 cushion, clearing the way for Pascual's clutch hit that set the sun on the Solar Spikers' hopes in one hour and 43 minutes. "Talagang pinaghandaan din namin talaga 'tong laban na 'to. Siyempre, nandito na kami, so grinab na lang namin 'tong opportunity na 'to, which is gumanda naman 'yung galaw ng mga players namin," noted Galeries head coach Aying Esteban after the match.

He bared later on that they needed to borrow their rest day on Sunday to catch up to Capital1, right after losing to them just this Saturday, March 21. "Kahit 'yung Linggo hiniram na namin para lang makapag-training kami nang maayos. Worth naman 'yung sakripisyo na ginawa namin," he said.

Asis led four Galeries players in twin-digit scoring, listing 17 points anchored on 12 attacks, three blocks, and two aces. Coronel, for her part, enabled the Galeries firepower with 22 excellent sets to go with three markers. With the win, the Highrisers stayed alive in the competition and will face Nxled next, proving to be a tough task as they take on the core of the defending champions of the all-Pinoy tilt. Meanwhile, this is the end of the road for Belen and company, as the super rookie concludes her first year in the country's only professional women's volleyball league.

They could not repeat their 25-20, 22-25, 25-22, 26-24 win over the Highrisers to end the preliminary round. Belen ultimately lacked the help as the only Solar Spiker in double digits, firing a game-high 21 points after converting 20 attacks on 71 attempts and one block. She did her part in trying to stop the Galeries attacks with 12 excellent digs and nine excellent receptions.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com