Erika Deloria of the Galeries Tower Highrisers believes a championship team isn’t built on wins alone. It’s also shaped by how a team handles losses.
Galeries Tower opened the 2026–27 PVL All-Filipino Conference Siklab Series with four straight defeats to the Farm Fresh Foxies, Creamline Cool Smashers, Nxled Chameleons, and Choco Mucho Flying Titans. The Highrisers finally broke through with a 25-22, 26-24, 23-25, 15-25, 15-10 win over the Akari Chargers on Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
The win was a much-needed lift. Deloria hopes the tough start will help make Galeries Tower mentally tougher for the rest of the conference.
“I think if you want to be a champion, you have to go through tough times din. If malagpasan ’yung mga ’yun, ako, naniniwala ako na kaya mong manalo, kaya mong lagpasan lahat ng hirap na ’yan kasi you have to be mentally tough,” said Deloria.
“Kahit ayaw mo na mag-training kasi talo ka, kailangan mo pa rin mag-show up. Ganoon eh, kailangan mo talagang maging strong,” she added.
Deloria Admits Losing Took a Toll on Team
The Enderun Colleges product admitted the losing streak hurt the team’s morale. But the Highrisers used it to figure out what they needed to fix, especially their communication on the court.
“For me, maganda siyang start for us kasi siyempre 0-4 po kami, so medyo nakakababa po ng morale. Pero at the same time, doon din kami nagli-learn na marami pa kaming kailangang ayusin and also communicate,” she said.
“And then I think lumabas siya this game, and very thankful ako for the coaches and for my teammates na araw-araw nagsho-show up pa rin kahit ganoon,” Deloria added.
Deloria has been one of the few bright spots for Galeries Tower in a difficult start. Against Akari, she led the team with 20 points on 18 attacks and 2 aces and anchored the floor defense with 28 excellent receptions.
The 20th overall pick in the 2025 PVL Draft knows Galeries Tower won’t become a contender overnight. Still, she hopes the early struggles become the foundation the team builds on.
Galeries Tower will next face the ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles on Tuesday, November 10, at 6:00 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
