The Cignal HD Spikers and Galeries Tower Highrisers will clash in the opening match of the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference qualifying round, with the winner securing a direct quarterfinal berth.
The qualifying round 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference is upon us.
After a lengthy preliminary round, the matchups for the next round are set, and teams will compete once more, this time for a direct quarterfinal berth.
Kicking off the qualifying round will be the Cignal HD Spikers and Galeries Tower Highrisers on Thursday, February 27 at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.
Let’s take a look at how these two teams fared during the preliminaries.
Contrasting records
Despite fielding just 12 players in the conference, the HD Spikers have continued to find success under coach Shaq Delos Santos.
Along with Vanie Gandler and Dawn Catindig, Cignal has also found gems in Ishie Lalongisip, Jackie Acuña, and Judith Abil.
[ALSO READ: Jackie Acuña dreams of Alas Pilipinas call-up amid stellar PVL All-Filipino run for Cignal]
The HD Spikers finished the preliminaries with an 8-3 record for the third seed and riding on a three-game winning streak.
The Highrisers, on the other hand, have struggled throughout the conference, with their only win coming on December 7 against the Capital1 Solar Spikers.
At times, Galeries Tower has looked like a team capable of going up against the best of the best. However, inconsistencies have plagued the Lerma Giron-led squad which has caused them several close matches.
[ALSO READ: Julia Coronel, Jewel Encarnacion rue missed chances as five-setters haunt Galeries Tower again]
Heading into the qualifying round, the 10th-seeded Highrisers will bank on Julia Coronel, Jho Maraguinot, Ysa Jimenez, and France Ronquillo to pull off a huge upset.
The two squads met back in January 21, where Cignal swept Galeries Tower to open their post Ces Molina and Riri Meneses-era.
What’s next after qualifying round?
The winner of the Cignal-Galeries Tower match will directly advance to the quarterfinals.
The loser, meanwhile, will head to the play-in tournament—a new format introduced in the conference.
This means that either the HD Spikers or Highrisers will have one more chance to advance to the next round.
[ALSO READ: What to expect from the upcoming qualifying round in 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference?]
Action between the two squads tips off at 4:00 p.m.