WHILE the Philippines had some of its best clubs waiting at the top, Thailand sent one of its own to bring them down.
EST Cola toppled Nxled, 25-22, 25-21, 25-19, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum to capture the 2026 Invitational title, becoming only the second foreign guest team to be crowned PVL champion after Japan’s Kurashiki Ablaze in 2023.
The championship capped a remarkable transformation under former Thai national team libero Wanna Buakaew.
After managing just one win in its 2024 stint with a roster featuring Thailand’s under-20 national team, EST Cola returned as a far more complete force, blending rising stars with battle-tested national team aces en route to a one-loss run through six games before winning the one that mattered most.
Bannered by the formidable one-two punch of Papatchaya Phontham and Nannaphat Moonjakham, EST Cola turned Thailand’s rich volleyball pedigree into PVL gold, leaving Philippine soil with another reminder that one of Asia’s longtime powers remains a force wherever it plays.
PVL's B- EST
EST Cola also became just the second team to clinch a PVL title with a straight-sets finals victory, following Creamline’s sweep of KingWhale Taipei for the 2022 Invitational crown and Akari for the 2024 Reinforced championship.
Phontham once again led the Thai charge with 15 points, while fellow national team ace Nannaphat Moonjakham added 11 points and 12 digs as they turned the PVL Finals into one-way traffic, dominating all three sets on the way to the crown.
"I feel so happy because this is the second time we’ve come to compete here. In the first round, the team was okay but we ended up with a ranking that wasn’t very good," said Phontham in Thai.
"But when we came back, we won the championship, and I also received individual awards, including MVP."
Nxled, meanwhile, endured a rough introduction to the PVL Finals, with Jonah Sabete-Escamillan pacing the Chameleons in the losing effort with 11 points to go with 21 receptions and eight digs.
Myla Pablo added 10 points, but Nxled could not find enough answers to keep pace.
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