GALERIES Tower booted out Capital1 with a vengeful 25-16, 25-20, 30-28 sweep in the first knockout play-in game of the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference on Tuesday at the Playtime Filoil Centre.
Jean Asis put the game away on the Highrisers' third match point in an extended third set where Capital1 already had three set points on hand.
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The magic of the play-ins was in full effect as the ninth-seeded Highrisers turned the tables just three days after dropping their prelims finale to the same team.
After erasing its five-game skid, next for Galeries Tower is another do-or-die clash in the second stage of the stepladder play-ins against No. 5 seed Nxled, a team it previously stunned in four sets in the prelims.
The knockout game is set on Saturday.
"Nandito na kami so grinab na lang namin itong opportunity na ito which is gumanda rin naman 'yung galaw ng mga players namin," said Galeries Tower head coach Aying Esteban.
Asis showed the way with 19 points, backed by Gayle Pascual’s 14, punctuated by the game-winner, while Aiza Maizo-Pontillas rolled back the years with 19 points and nine digs.
Roselle Baliton added 11 markers built on a game-high four blocks.
Julia Coronel orchestrated the offense with 22 excellent sets, as Blove Barbon anchored the floor defense with 15 digs and 11 receptions.
Towers of power
The Highrisers broke the first set open with a six-point blast to grab a 17-13 edge, then slammed the door with 14 of the last 17 points, sealed by Roselle Baliton’s kill block.
Capital1 then rode Bella Belen’s charge in a 7-2 second-set run to knot things at 19-all after another hot Highrisers start before a Tapia service error and back-to-back hits from Shola Alvarez and Asis slammed it shut.
Belenn dragged Capital1 back into the fight, forcing a 23-all deadlock in a third set that Galeries Tower had largely controlled.
The super rookie scored seven of the team’s last eight points, but Asis came up with a clutch block on Belen to set up match point, which Pascual finished off.
Belen still wound up with her ninth 20-point game in 10 outings, tallying 21 points, 12 digs, and nine receptions.
No other Solar Spiker reached double figures, with Cherry Nunag next in line at seven points.
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