Galeries Tower Highrisers captain and main setter Julia Coronel could not hide her emotions after helping snap the team’s 17-game, nearly year-long losing streak with a five-set win over the ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles on Saturday, February 7.
Drafted third overall in the 2024 PVL Rookie Draft, Coronel has been one of the constants through Galeries Tower’s highs and lows, making the breakthrough moment in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference especially meaningful.
“So, sobrang happy ako sa team tonight na kumapit talaga kaming lahat. And sa coaches na patuloy na nagga-guide sa amin, kahit may mga times na nawawala kami sa sistema, patuloy pa rin sila na nagre-remind sa amin na bumalik doon sa game plan namin,” Coronel said after the win.
Julia Coronel Hoping for Sustained Growth
With the Highrisers now operating under a new system led by rookie head coach Clarence Esteban, Coronel hopes the victory can serve as a foundation for sustained growth rather than a one-off result.
“I’m hoping na patuloy pa rin ‘yung ganung culture na ma-build namin. Kasi I would say, for the longest time, that’s the kind of culture we’ve been wanting to build—that winning culture—and slowly, we’re getting there,” she admitted.
Veterans Making Presence Felt
Despite running the offense, Coronel was quick to credit the team’s veterans, led by Aiza Maizo-Pontillas, for providing stability during high-pressure stretches.
“Nakikita ko rin talaga na lahat gutom manalo. Parang lahat gustong-gusto mag-contribute in any way possible. Nakita naman natin today na kahit may hinatak si coach from the bench, everyone was able to contribute. I would say the beauty of our team right now is that everyone is eager to contribute to the success of the team,” she said.
“Big help talaga na nandiyan si Nang, parang siya ‘yung nagiging anchor namin as a veteran. And lahat ng ates namin—sina Ate Shola [Alvarez], Ate Roselle [Baliton]—sobrang laki ng tulong na dinadala nila sa team namin.”
Galeries Tower Trending Up
For the first time in a long while, Galeries Tower can finally see tangible proof of what it is capable of at the professional level.
“Actually, gusto ko lang i-share na last night medyo nagkaroon ako ng ilang doubts kasi siyempre, matagal na rin ako sa team na ‘to, and mataas na rin ‘yung ini-expect ko sa team namin ngayon—na kaya talaga naming makipagsabayan. Lagi lang kasi kami kinakapos in the past,” Coronel shared.
“I’m so happy na today, napakita namin kung ano ‘yung kaya ng team namin. And parang moving forward, I’m just so excited to see what else we’re capable of doing. Again, back to the drawing board after this win—tapos na ‘to, back to training na naman kami.”
Julia Coronel and the Galeries Tower Highrisers will look to build on their breakthrough when they face the Farm Fresh Foxies on Saturday, February 14, at 4:00 p.m. at the Ynares Center Antipolo.
