EST Cola just made the race to the 2026 PVL Invitational finals even tighter.
The Thai side put the foreign guest teams on the board after beating Farm Fresh, 25-21, 25-16, 25-22, on Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, improving to 1-1 and joining the Foxies, Nxled and defending champion PLDT in a four-way tie.
READ: BVS-less Nxled takes down PVL Invitational defending champ PLDT
With the preliminaries reaching the halfway mark, there is now little separation among four teams fighting for the top two spots in the race for the finals.
EST Cola has the personnel to remain in that mix, too, as the Thai club features six mainstays of Thailand’s national team, including players who saw action in recent major international campaigns such as the Volleyball Nations League.
Leading that group is ace opposite hitter Papatchaya Phontham, who poured in 17 points on 13 attacks, three aces and a block.
EST Cola's 17-year-old setter Natnicha Saelao complemented her scoring with 22 excellent sets and seven points of her own, coming up with four blocks and three attacks.
"I really gained a lot of experience from this game. At the beginning, I was a bit nervous and anxious, but once I got into the game and played more over time, it was all good. I think today went really great," Saelao said in Thai.
A struggling Farm Fresh side threatened to claw its way back in the first two sets, but EST Cola answered each time, stringing identical three-point runs to close both frames and take a two-set advantage.
Phontham continued to provide the scoring while Saelao came up with timely blocks to keep the Foxies at bay and complete the straight-set win.
Trisha Tubu was Farm Fresh’s lone double-digit scorer with 15 attack points, while Ces Molina chipped in nine points, eight digs and seven receptions.
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