BATANGAS CITY — Jean Asis didn’t just arrive in the PVL—she came in swinging.
The 22-year-old middle blocker wasted no time proving why Galeries Tower made her the second overall pick in the 2025 PVL Draft. In her professional debut, Asis turned heads and silenced doubters with a composed yet commanding performance, even as her team fell short in a 19-25, 25-13, 22-25, 20-25 loss to Choco Mucho on Saturday night at the Batangas City Sports Center.
The former Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraw topped the scoring for the Highrisers, delivering 16 points on 13 attacks, two blocks, and an ace. She was a force in the middle and the emotional anchor of Galeries’ dominant second-set win, showing early signs that she can handle the PVL spotlight.
“Siguro ano, dinala ko lang ‘yung, ‘di naman sa dinala, pero siyempre second overall pick [ako]. ‘Yun ‘yung… Parang mataas na ‘yun e. Gusto ko lang i-prove na second overall pick ako, na may dahilan,” said Asis, fully aware of the pressure that comes with her draft stock.
“Gusto ko i-prove sa mga tao na kaya ko talaga i-prove ‘yung sarili ko na mag-perform nang maayos sa PVL.”
Asis admitted that there were nerves—what rookie doesn’t feel them?—but instead of letting them overwhelm her, she channeled the weight of expectations into fuel.
“May pressure, oo. Pero depende kasi sa tao ‘yun kung paano mo iha-handle. Pero ako, hindi ako masyadong nagpadala sa pressure, mas ginawa ko siyang as motivation kung paano ako mag-peperform,” she explained.
“As a rookie, nandun pa rin ‘yung kaba. Pero in the long run naman, parang naa-adapt ko naman na ‘yung laruan ng PVL. Masaya ako kasi this first game namin with Ates ko, maganda naman ‘yung kinalabasan ng performance so ayun, proud of myself and the team na kinaya naman. Pero ayun, kulang pa rin.”
Her transition into Galeries Tower’s system, she said, has been seamless—a testament to the culture and camaraderie within the young squad.
“Kasi po ‘yung Galeries, mababait talaga ‘yung mga tao. ‘Di lang nakikita ng iba pero mababait talaga sila, even the coaches,” said Asis.
“Siguro ‘yung paga-adjust ko with the team, madali lang kasi same lang naman kami ng goal, ng personalities, so ayun. Keri lang ‘yung pag-adjust, pag-gel ko sa kanila.”
There were critics who questioned Galeries’ choice to select Asis ahead of more celebrated collegiate stars like AC Miner, Tia Andaya, Lyann de Guzman, and Alleiah Malaluan. But for head coach Lerma Giron, the decision was never in doubt.
“Unang-una, bakit hindi si Jean? ‘Di ba?” Giron said. “Talaga namang very competitive, very aggressive. Ako, nasa coaching staff din ako sa UAAP.”
Giron emphasized that Asis filled both a positional need and a cultural fit for Galeries, especially with the team’s current middle blockers recovering from injuries.
“Talagang superb ‘yung ano ng FEU pagdating sa middle. Pangalawa, ‘yung sitwasyon ng team. Kasi may mga injuries ‘yung middles namin, so kailangan talaga namin ng middle,” she explained.
And in just her first match, Asis rewarded that trust. Her 16-point output was the highest on the team—an uncommon feat for a rookie middle blocker.
“Siya ‘yung highest sa amin sa puntos, which is unusual. Usually wing spikers ang mataas sa atake, pero as a rookie, tapos middle pa, so maganda ‘yung start talaga. Nakikita natin, looking brighter pa ‘yung future ng Galeries sa kanya.”
