Farm Fresh Snatches No. 1 Spot After Lodi’s Fiery Timeout Ignites a Sweep of Galeries

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by Misha Cruz

The Farm Fresh Foxies celebrate during their game versus the Galeries Tower Highrisers.
The Farm Fresh Foxies celebrate during their game versus the Galeries Tower Highrisers. Photo: PVL Images.

Farm Fresh is back on top, and honestly, the way they flipped the switch tonight was so on-brand for a team built on grit, swagger, and that “Foxies don’t play around” energy.

With their quarterfinal ticket already punched, the Foxies rolled into the Ynares Center looking to upgrade their status to No. 1 in the PVL Reinforced Conference… and they did exactly that, hammering Galeries Tower in straight sets, 25-23, 25-13, 25-11, on a chilly Saturday night in Montalban.

But make no mistake, this sweep didn’t start pretty.

Farm Fresh came out surprisingly flat, letting the Highrisers hang around much longer than expected. At 20-19 in the opening set, head coach Alessandro Lodi called a timeout that instantly became the turning point of the match. And girl… he let them have it.

“You were slow, too slow!” Lodi snapped, visibly frustrated, a rare moment from the usually ice-cool Italian coach. And honestly? The Foxies needed that tough love.

Because right after that timeout, it felt like someone plugged the whole team into a power outlet.

Farm Fresh Foxies' Ces Molina.
Farm Fresh Foxies' Ces Molina. Photo: PVL Images.

Farm Fresh immediately strung together four straight points, with Ces Molina blasting one through the seam to steady the ship. Galeries still made a late push, but Eli Rousseaux shut the door with a gorgeous down-the-line dagger for 25-23. From there, Farm Fresh basically said, “Okay, let’s stop playing around,” and unleashed their true form.

The next two sets were a full highlight reel: heavy swings, clean transitions, towering blocks, and floor defense that looked like it was ripped straight from a championship mixtape. The Foxies turned the Highrisers’ court into their playground, cruising to a 6-1 record and edging past ZUS Coffee for the top spot with 18 big points.

But the fight for No. 1 isn’t done yet.

Farm Fresh closes its eliminations with a spicy showdown against Chery Tiggo on Thursday. Meanwhile, ZUS Coffee faces Nxled on Tuesday, and PLDT (at 5-1 entering tonight) could shake up everything depending on their result vs. the EV Crossovers.

Rousseaux once again played like a woman on a mission, dropping 19 points, including three blocks and three aces, to secure another Best Player of the Game nod. After the match, she echoed her coach’s mixed emotions: grateful for the bounce-back, but fully aware they can’t afford another slow start.

If tonight proved anything, it’s that when Lodi lights a fire, the Foxies burn brighter than ever.