Chery Tiggo’s Ara Galang during the PVL on Tour final against PLDT.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Not even Ara Galang’s heroics were enough to put Chery Tiggo on top.
Galang displayed her vintage form with 22 points and eight digs, willing Chery Tiggo back from two sets down, only to lose steam in the fifth set to PLDT, 25-17, 25-17, 19-25, 24-26, 15-8, in the PVL on Tour preseason final on Sunday.
READ: PVL on Tour: PLDT withstands Chery Tiggo for first title
Ara Galang and Aby Maraño proud of Chery Tiggo’s teamwork, vowing to comeback stronger in the Invitationals #PVLonTour #PVL2025 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/MMykhvkbJj
— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) August 18, 2025
The veteran wing spiker and the Crossovers, however, have nothing to be ashamed after giving their all to return to the podium for the first time since winning the 2021 PVL bubble championship in Bacarra, Ilocos Norte.
“I’m happy and proud of my teammates. What we went through wasn’t easy, so I think we also deserved to make it to the podium,” Galang told the reporters in Filipino. “We reached the finals. We fell short, but we’re still proud and happy with how far we came.”
It was still a great run for Chery Tiggo after Galang’s impressive semifinal game sent them back to the final to eliminate Cignal in a preseason, where they finished with a 3-2 in the elims before eliminating Galeries Tower in the knockout round and beating Nxled in the quarterfinal.
Galang was honored to be part of the team’s cohesiveness and “no superstar” culture.
READ: PVL on Tour: Ara Galang savors first finals with Chery Tiggo
“What makes me proud is how our teamwork really stood out. That’s what Chery is all about, not relying on just one player, but sticking together and holding on to each other,” she said.
Despite the loss, Galang was also proud of her former F2 Logistics and La Salle teammates at PLDT, with Finals MVP Mika Reyes, Kim Fajardo, Majoy Baron, and Kianna Dy finally winning a title, and made coach Ramil De Jesus proud after their epic championship game.
Galang hopes their On Tour runner-up finish only makes them better as they battle PLDT anew to open the Invitational Conference on Thursday at Philsports Arena.
“We’re going to carry this finals experience with us. It’s different now that we’ve been here. We’ll keep working hard, go back to training, and continue developing our teamwork and individual skills so we can help each other even more,” Galang said.
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