It’s not how you start. It’s how you finish.
After dropping its opening game, EST Cola rattled off five straight victories, capping its run with a dominant 25-22, 25-21, 25-19 sweep of Nxled in the gold medal match to capture the 2026 PVL Invitational Conference championship on Tuesday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The Thai side became only the second guest team to win a PVL championship, following Japan’s Kurashiki Ablaze, which claimed the 2023 Invitational title.
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EST Cola made sure to bring its best against Nxled this time, avoiding another marathon battle after the Thais needed an incredible comeback to beat the Chameleons in their preliminary-round meeting last Thursday.
“When we lost in four sets in our first game, it felt like we had just started adjusting and tuning things. We had only just begun. It was the first match. We gave our teammates the chance to understand, then we talked it over, used it in training, and adjusted together,” said Conference MVP Papatchaya Phontham, who averaged 19.4 points in the preliminaries.
“We performed well and won the championship.”
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Phontham once again led the Thais in the championship match with 15 points on 14 attacks and one block, while also contributing four digs.
Nannaphat Moonjakham added 11 points and 12 digs, while middle blocker Nattharika Wasan chipped in nine points.
Seventeen-year-old playmaker Natnicha Saelao orchestrated EST Cola’s offense with 19 excellent sets and added four points of her own.
Despite the loss, the Chameleons secured the silver medal — their first podium finish in franchise history.
(C) PVL Images
Jonah Sabete-Escamillan, who earned her first PVL individual award as Best Outside Spiker, paced Nxled with 11 points, 21 excellent receptions, and eight excellent digs.
Myla Pablo contributed 10 points in the losing effort.
Earlier, PLDT claimed the bronze medal after defeating Creamline, 25-20, 20-25, 25-21, 25-22. Farm Fresh, meanwhile, claimed the 5th-place spot by sweeping Ho Chi Minh City.
