Julia Coronel ends a 345-day wait with Galeries Tower breakthrough

For 345 days, Julia Coronel carried more than just the ball for Galeries Tower—she carried the weight of a franchise stuck in neutral.

Loss after loss blurred into routine, even as the Highrisers tore everything down in the offseason. A new coaching staff. A near-total roster overhaul. Fresh promises that required patience. Through it all, Coronel stayed, steady but human, quietly wrestling with doubt as the losses piled up.

“Gusto ko lang i-share na last night, medyo nagkaroon ako ng mga iilan na doubts,” Coronel admitted.

“Ang tagal ko na rin sa team na ‘to at mataas na rin ‘yung ine-expect ko sa team namin ngayon na kaya talaga dapat naming makipagsabayan pero lagi lang kaming kinakapos in the past.”

On Saturday night, nearly a year after their last victory, those doubts finally loosened their grip.

Coronel piloted Galeries Tower to a long-awaited five-set win over ZUS Coffee, snapping a 17-game skid and ending a 345-day drought that had defined both her early pro career and the franchise’s growing pains. It wasn’t just a win—it was proof that staying the course hadn’t been pointless.

The Alas Pilipinas playmaker delivered with composure and command, finishing with 16 excellent sets and eight points while steering a balanced attack that saw four Highrisers score in double figures. When the match tightened, it was Coronel’s poise that kept Galeries Tower from slipping back into familiar territory.

Drafted third overall two years ago, the victory marked just the third win of Coronel’s young PVL career—and only the third five-set triumph in Galeries Tower’s three-year history, following narrow escapes against Gerflor in 2023 and Capital1 in 2024. Small milestones on paper, but massive ones for a team desperate for something to build on.

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Team captain Julia Coronel shares her joy over the Galeries Tower Highrisers’ first five-set win, crediting the team’s overall effort and the coaching staff’s guidance in their victory against ZUS Coffee in the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference. | via Jamie Velasco/One Sports pic.twitter.com/vV13zErFlC

— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) February 7, 2026

For Coronel, the moment went far beyond the scoreboard.

“For the longest time, that’s the kind of culture that we’ve been wanting to build, that winning culture. And slowly, we’re getting there,” she said.

“Alam kong may purpose lahat ‘tong pinagdadaanan talaga namin. I just use each and every day as motivation to keep showing up.”

The breakthrough didn’t come without resistance. ZUS Coffee erased a 0–2 deficit behind Chinnie Arroyo, Thea Gagate, Wielyn Estoque, and Riza Nogales, pushing the match to its limits. In the third set, Galeries Tower stormed back from a 9–16 hole to briefly take a 23–22 lead, only to surrender three straight points and allow the Thunderbelles to extend the fight.

This time, though, Galeries Tower didn’t fold.

“Nagtulong-tulong lang ang lahat, at we’re happy that we finally got the elusive win,” Coronel said.

“So, sobrang happy ako sa team tonight na kumapit talaga kaming lahat.”

Even when execution wavered, Coronel pointed to the steady reminders from the bench that kept the group grounded.

“Kahit may mga times na nawawala kami sa sistema, patuloy kaming nire-remind ng coaches na bumalik sa game plan,” she added.

After 345 days of waiting, losing, and questioning, Coronel finally has something concrete to show for the faith she never fully abandoned. The drought is over. The rebuild has a heartbeat. And for Galeries Tower, the win wasn’t just overdue—it was necessary.

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