Ysa Jimenez and Jau Umandal will have plenty to celebrate after her career-high performance in the Galeries Tower Highrisers' huge PVL All-Filipino qualifying round victory over the Cignal HD Spikers.
Ysa Jimenez delivered a breakout performance as she led the Galeries Tower Highrisers to a stunning four-set victory over the Cignal HD Spikers, securing their first-ever playoff berth in the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference.
The former UST standout erupted for a career-high 23 points, proving instrumental in the biggest win of the young franchise.
But behind her dominant showing, Jimenez revealed the unwavering support of her boyfriend, Jau Umandal.
After the match, Jimenez credited Umandal for helping her improve her game, especially after struggling in their previous match.
"Kasi nung last game, nanonood siya tas Cignal kalaban namin. Ang chaka nung nilaro ko nun. Sabi ko, 'Sige na, wag ka manood ng game namin ngayon.'"
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But Umandal didn’t just stay on the sidelines. Instead, he took an active role in helping Jimenez improve her game and even decided to cook for her before the match.
"Before ako umalis, pinaglutuan pa ako niyan tapos tinuturuan pa ako niyan—'Ganito kasi, ganyan.' Actually, ganyan naman siya lagi kapag before game. Tas habang nag-viewing ako, nagpapaturo din ako sa kanya, tinuturuan niya ako lagi."
The victory eventually was made sweeter for Jimenez after beating the HD Spikers, Umandal’s current team in the Spikers’ Turf.
"Alam niyo ba, sabi ko nga sa kanya, 'Nako, baka mamaya ganyan-ganyan ka, eh what if matalo namin?' Sabi niya, 'Edi, okay lang. Hindi naman ako diyan naglalaro eh,’” Jimenez laughingly said.
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With her confidence at an all-time high, Jimenez and Galeries Tower are set to make the most out of their historic playoff run as they await the winner between the Farm Fresh-Akari qualifying round match.
But first, Jimenez also made sure to give a proper greeting to Umandal during her celebratory interview.
"Binabati ko 'yung boyfriend ko. Hi, Jau, and 'yung family niya. Hello! Sorry, sobrang saya ko lang, nalimutan ko. Baka magtampo ka pa ah!" she joked.