POLOMOLOK, South Cotabato — Strong Group Athletics’ spirited comeback bid came up short as Supreme Tip Chonburi-E.Tech claimed a 25-13, 25-20, 16-25, 25-21 victory to open the 2026 Formosa Women’s Volleyball Invitational Tournament on Thursday at Xinzhuang Gymnasium in Chinese Taipei.
After a convincing third-set win, Strong Group carried its momentum into the fourth set and grabbed an early lead. However, Kuttika Kaewpin and Waranya Srilaoong sparked a decisive 6-1 run that turned a 15-14 deficit into a 20-16 advantage for the Thai club.
Mylene Paat and Ces Molina answered with back-to-back attacks to trim the gap to two, but Pleumjit Thinkaow responded with a quick attack before Kwannaphat Nualwan drilled a down-the-line winner to restore Supreme Tip Chonburi’s four-point cushion at 22-18.
The two teams traded points the rest of the way, denying Strong Group another late comeback.
Trisha Tubu briefly kept the Philippine side alive after her powerful attack grazed Kaewpin’s arms to save a match point, but Srilaoong finished the contest with an off-the-block kill to secure the victory for Supreme Tip Chonburi.
“It’s so hard to win the game because the Philippine team is more experienced and more professional. So we had to keep our team under control to get the win,” Pleumjit said after the match.
Strong Group stayed within striking distance early in the opening set before the Thai side took control with a 7-0 run, capped by a Kaewpin kill, to transform a slim 9-7 lead into a commanding 16-7 advantage.
Nualwan committed a service error before AC Miner rejected Kaewpin at the net as Strong Group scored consecutive points to halt the run. However, Supreme Tip Chonburi quickly regained its rhythm, closing the set with a 9-4 burst to take a 1-0 match lead.
The Frank Lao-backed squad put up a stronger challenge in the second set, cutting the deficit to 21-19 after a Jonna Perdido kill. But Kaewpin ignited a decisive 4-1 closing run as Supreme Tip Chonburi moved within a set of victory.
Refusing to go down quietly, Strong Group dominated the third set from the outset. Holding a slim 13-11 advantage, Molina fueled a decisive 12-5 finishing run and punctuated it with a kill as the Philippine side forced a fourth set.
Strong Group will try to bounce back on Saturday when it faces Earth Power EPV at 7 p.m. at the same venue.
