Petro Gazz fought back Galeries Tower’s late rally to prevail 25-11, 26-24, 25-22, in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference late Tuesday, Oct. 17, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Angels drew strength from Grethcel Soltones, who finished with 19 points including the down-the-line spike that sealed their first victory.

Leaning on a comfortable 23-16 cushion in the third set, the Angels saw the Highrisers mount a furious rally anchored on Audrey Paran to cut the lead at 23-20.

A block from Petro Gazz put them at matchpoint, but Paran and Mary Anne Esguerra refused to give up easily by unloading back-to-back kills to keep the Galeries at bay.

But Soltones retaliated with her own sharp attack to end the one-hour, 34-minute match in their favor.

Veteran Aiza Pontillas also shone for Petro Gazz with 10 points while KC Galdones and Jonah Sabete teamed up for 14 points.

Djanel Cheng also spelled the difference with 15 excellent sets.

Galeries fell short of debuting in the league with a bang as none from the squad scored in double figures with Paran finishing with only eight points.

The Highrisers also struggled with their defense and service, managing only one block from Esguerra and posting three aces out of 58 attempts.