EST Cola of Thailand saved its biggest statement for last as the visitors beat Nxled, 25-22, 25-21, 25-19, to capture the Premier Volleyball League Invitational crown before a highly-appreciative crowd on Tuesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Papatchaya Phontham, Nannaphat Moonjakham and Nirarach Srikuta again stood at the forefront for EST Cola which became the second foreign squad to win the Invitational after Japan’s Kurashiki Ablaze defeated Creamline in 2023.
The triumph came after one hour and 28 minutes for the 20-and-under team that finished fourth in its 2024 PVL Invitational debut.
Phontham came away with 15 points, Moonjakham added 11 and Srikuta finished with seven as the trio combined for 33 points to underscore EST Cola’s balanced scoring.
Nattharika Wasan chipped in nine points, Sasithorn Jatta had six and Natnicha Saelao contributed four points on top of 19 excellent sets as EST Cola dominated Nxled in attacks, 45-34.
The power-hitting, high-flying Phontham capped her week-long heroics by becoming the first guest team Most Valuable Player.
Jonah Escamillan paced Nxled with 11 points, while Myla Pablo finished with 10 and MJ Phillips and EJ Cariño added nine and six points, respectively.
EST Cola dropped its opening-day assignment, then swept its next four matches against some of the most established teams in the tournament.