MONTALBAN — Erika Deloria may have had one of the quickest climbs from obscurity to brewing relevance in the PVL, and it came the hard way.
The multi-awarded 5-foot-7 outside hitter out of Enderun Colleges went from being drafted 20th overall by Chery Tiggo last year to watching the club disband, abruptly thrusting her into free agency before her pro career could even find its footing.
Galeries Tower’s massive offseason overhaul was headlined by proven names like Aiza Maizo-Pontillas, but Deloria has already shown why she belonged in that facelift.
READ: Galeries Tower ends 17-game slide by outlasting ZUS Coffee
In just her second game as a Highriser, Deloria delivered a statement performance with 18 points and 15 receptions to power Galeries Tower to its first win in nearly a year, snapping a 17-game skid at the expense of ZUS Coffee on Saturday.
That sudden disbandment could’ve easily ended a short-lived dream, especially for a player whose path to the pros was never lined with spotlight opportunities to begin with.
But for Deloria, some things are simply too precious to give up on, especially this early.
And even months into her PVL journey, what the 25-year-old holds onto most is the belief that she didn’t come this far just to stop now.
“Honestly, hindi siya madali na journey. It was very hard but still, love ko ‘yung volleyball and may passion talaga ako for volleyball,” Deloria said.
“I don’t even know what’s coming up ahead pero I still keep on going kasi I have the faith na to just really keep on going lang kasi hindi ko alam talaga kung ano nasa harap ko.”
Whether Saturday’s breakout proves to be a one-off or a sign of things to come, Deloria’s winding road that unfolded outside the usual UAAP and NCAA limelight has clearly toughened her enough to chase the biggest break of her young career.
“Meron naman akong something to prove, but I just do it because I want to, kung saan man ako gustong ilagay o ilaro ng team, gagawin ko,” she said.
“So far, I found a home in Galeries.”
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