Despite her individual brilliance throughout their elimination-round campaign, Est Cola ace Papatchaya Phontham was quick to deflect the spotlight, stressing that their run to the finals has been the product of collective effort rather than individual brilliance.
After losing their opening game to PLDT, the Thai squad won four straight games, capped by a dominant straight-set triumph over fellow guest squad Ho Chi Minh City to book a spot in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference finale.
“No matter what, a team is a team. I can’t play by myself. We have to play together as a team. Even if I can help a lot or only a little, if it were just me alone, then it wouldn’t be a team,” said the 20-year-old winger, who has also suited up for the Thailand national team.
(C) PVL Images
Papatchaya has been a major factor in Est Cola’s impressive run. She averaged 19.4 points per game — including a 27-point explosion against powerhouse Creamline — to emerge as one of the Thai side’s most reliable offensive weapons throughout the elimination round.
But despite those numbers, Papatchaya has never viewed Est Cola’s success as a one-player show, instead crediting the collective effort that has propelled the Thai side into the finals.
“I feel good, but I have to give credit to everyone on the team. If we didn’t have our receivers and our setter, I wouldn’t have been able to attack and score. Everyone contributes to the team. It’s all about teamwork,” she added.
Now in the finale, Papatchaya is looking to push herself even further and do whatever she can to help Est Cola make the most of its first PVL finals appearance.
Drawing from her experience with Thailand’s senior national team, the SEA V League champion hopes to put everything she has learned on the international stage to good use as the Thai side looks to complete its remarkable run.
“I have experience from playing with the senior national team, and I’ll try to use whatever experience I gained there to help the team, whether I can contribute a lot or a little.”
