Soon to rise
Although Galeries Tower’s campaign in the PVL Reinforced Conference has come to an end, the Highrisers left their mark on their opponents with an almost impenetrable floor defense.
In fact, the team could have enjoyed more success if it had only found a way to flaunt more than that.
“The team still hasn’t developed maturity and the players fall apart in the end,” coach Lerma Giron said in Filipino after the Highrisers were bulldozed for the eighth consecutive game, the latest at the hands of Capital1, 25-13, 26-28, 25-22, 25-21, on Tuesday.
“We have been frustrated and disappointed. There were even times that we were in the lead only for the opponent to catch up and defeat us,” Giron added.
Only PLDT has been able to cruise past the Highrisers, with the rest of the field having to summon their best to dismiss Galeries Tower.
Nxled and Farm Fresh, playoff-bound Cignal and even perfect Akari all needed five sets to dispose of the Highrisers while formidable teams Creamline, Chery Tiggo and Capital1 all needed four sets.
“But it’s still a good run for us because when we fought Akari, which I wasn’t aware was No. 1 in the other pool, we went to five sets. So it should be an accomplishment enough for us that we gave our all against the top team,” Giron said.
“We just lacked that finishing kick,” she added as her crew continuously showed off their vaunted floor defense that became a puzzle almost every team struggled to unlock.
But Giron is hopeful that the team’s experience this conference will translate into something better after having competed despite a roster composed mostly of role players. The Highrisers were also without rookie Julia Coronel, the No. 3 overall pick who is currently on loan to the national team.
“We need to be more consistent and the players also need to accept and embrace pressure,” she said as they would have a longer amount of time to craft a better offense for the coming All-Filipino Conference.
The Highrisers will try to build on the improvement of rookie Jewel Encarnacion, Ysa Jimenez, Graze Bombita, Roselle Baliton, Dimdim Pacres, France Ronquillo, Andrea Marzan and defensive ace Alyssa Eroa.
Encarnacion saved her best performance for their last game—an important development in Galeries Towers’ quest for a holistic approach to the game.
“I’m a person who really believes in growth. So I am ready to face the criticisms that I will receive … just to improve my skills,” the University of the Philippines product said. “I don’t wanna settle for less. Like what I said during draft night, I want to make history with this team.”
“I can see that we have really, really big potential and as you all saw, we had so many [games that went to] five sets that we could’ve won … We were really having difficulties applying finishing touches so I am gonna work on myself so that I can contribute in that aspect,” Encarnacion added.
“Once they learn to accept [the pressure], we will not only keep up with the opponents, we can also beat them,” Giron said.
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