EST Cola of Thailand sent Farm Fresh crashing to its first defeat and earned a breakthrough 25-21, 25-16, 25-22 win in the PVL Invitational Conference on Tuesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Thai club turned to the duo of Papatchaya Phontham and setter Natnicha Saelao to bounce back from a four-set loss to PLDT on opening day.
Phontham unleashed 17 points from 13 kills, three aces and a block, while the 17-year-old playmaker Saelao dished out 22 excellent sets and scored seven points, highlighted by four kill blocks.
‘Today we are so happy because of our teamwork and I helped in everything,’ said Saelao through a translator.
‘Thank you for the experience today, thank you, fans Philippines, for [allowing us to] coming here. Thank you for everything.’
Nirarach Srikuta and Nannaphat Moonjakham chipped in nine points each, while Nattharika Wasan added seven.
EST Cola forced a four-way tie at 1-1 tied with Nxled, PLDT, and Farm Fresh.
The Thais take on the Chameleons on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
‘In the next game, we need our receive and serve and block and teamwork a lot,’ Saelao said.
Farm Fresh’s lone double-digit scorer was Trisha Tubu, who had 15 points, all from attacks. Ces Molina and Ara Galang contributed nine and seven points, respectively.
The Foxies seek a bounce-back against Creamline on Thursday at 1:30 p.m.