Nxled weathered Ho Chi Minh City’s blistering late-game rally to escape with a four-set, 25-20, 31-33, 25-17, 25-22 victory in the 2026 PVL Invitational Conference on Friday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Coming off a five-set loss to Thailand’s EST Cola, the Chameleons bounced back to even their record at 2-2, tying the PLDT High Speed Hitters for third and fourth places in the standings.
Nxled, however, holds the third spot by virtue of its superior match points, seven to PLDT’s six.
The Chameleons will close out the preliminary round on Sunday against Farm Fresh at 1 p.m., while Ho Chi Minh City will take on EST Cola in the succeeding game.
(C) PVL Images
“It looks like we love to fight because the last game was a five-setter; it was really tough. We wanted to immediately show that we never back down. We will never be broken after losing a match and that we are ready to fight,” said Chameleons head coach Ettore Guidetti.
The fourth set brought back memories of Nxled’s collapse against EST Cola a day earlier, when the Chameleons squandered a commanding 20-12 advantage before losing the frame, 30-28, and eventually falling in five sets.
This time, however, Nxled managed to withstand Ho Chi Minh City’s late surge and close out the match.
The Chameleons built an eight-point cushion at 19-11 before the Vietnamese side fought back to cut the deficit to just one, 22-21.
MJ Phillips and Jonah Sabete-Escamillan then joined forces to deliver a 3-1 finishing run, allowing Nxled to seal the win after two hours and 15 minutes.
(C) PVL Images
The victory halted Ho Chi Minh City’s push for a gold medal berth as the Vietnamese club dropped to 1-3 and remained tied with Farm Fresh for fifth and sixth places. The result also eliminated Ho Chi Minh City from contention for the gold.
Gel Cayuna orchestrated Nxled’s offense with 35 excellent sets, helping five Chameleons finish in double figures.
Sabete-Escamillan and Myla Pablo led the balanced attack with 18 points apiece.
Sabete-Escamillan also turned in an all-around defensive effort with 20 excellent receptions and 15 excellent digs.
Phillips added 17 points, EJ Laure-Cariño chipped in 16, and Jackie Acuña contributed 12 in the bounce-back victory.
For Ho Chi Minh City, captain Dang Thi Kim Thanh posted 15 points and 15 excellent digs, while 16-year-old Ho Thi Bich Diep added 13 points. Dao Thi Nhung finished with 11 points in the losing effort.
