May Luna-Lumahan and the Nxled Chameleons drew a massive morale boost from Donny Pangilinan’s PVL on Tour visit, fueling a hard-fought sweep of the Galeries Tower Highrisers.
Nxled’s May Luna-Lumahan admitted she couldn’t believe her eyes when actor Donny Pangilinan showed up to support the Chameleons in their PVL on Tour match against Galeries Tower on Tuesday, July 15, at the Playtime Filoil Centre in San Juan.
What started as a quiet text in the morning turned into a courtside surprise that lit a spark in the entire Nxled squad.
The Chameleons, who trailed by as many as nine points in the opening set, suddenly found their groove the moment Pangilinan entered the arena, rallying from a 4-13 deficit to steal the first frame, 26-24, and eventually sweeping the Highrisers in straight sets.
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“Sobrang hindi ko talaga in-expect na pupunta siya,” Luna told reporters. “Siyempre, as an artist, sobrang busy niya talaga. Pero nung nag-text siya kanina, parang ‘oh my God, totoo na ba ‘to?’ So I’m so happy. Pero siyempre, focus pa rin sa goal, which is manalo—bonus na lang talaga na andun si Donny.”
The energy carried over into the next two sets as Nxled completed its third straight win, a franchise-best start in the PVL, behind strong performances from Chiara Permentilla, EJ Cariño, and Jov Fernandez.
Cariño led the team with 16 points, while Fernandez and Permentilla added 14 and 13 markers, respectively.
After the game, Pangilinan surprised the team once again by dropping by the locker room to congratulate them personally—his first time watching a PVL game live.
“Ay, as in, nagkagulo talaga kaming lahat,” Luna said with a laugh. “Kinongratulate niya kami for our win. First time niya daw pala manood ng PVL, so, hindi niya talaga in-expect na ganito pala 'yung taas ng level ng game."
Still, Luna emphasized that it was the team’s offseason grind that made the moment possible.
“Sinasabi ni coach [Ettore Guidetti] na 'yung mga support na dumarating sa amin, 'yung mga opportunities na dumalating sa amin—bonus na lang talaga ‘yun," she said. "After ng last PVL All-Filipino, nag-training na agad kami. Two days lang 'yung pahinga namin, so I think, dahil din sa hard work namin."
Nxled now sits at 3-0 and will next face unbeaten PLDT in a marquee matchup in Cebu on July 26.