EST Cola was never going to be a walkover in its second PVL appearance.
Two years after the Thai guest team first came to the Philippines, former player-turned-coach Wanna Buakaew returned with a roster that better reflects the depth of Thailand’s volleyball program, bringing six players who have recently been part of the country’s senior national-team campaigns.
READ: EST Cola shakes up PVL Invitational with sweep of Farm Fresh
The difference was already evident in EST Cola’s second PVL Invitational outing this year.
Its 25-21, 25-16, 25-22 sweep was not just a winning start but an early statement of intent from a team that arrived in the PVL with a different level of experience from the one that competed here in 2024.
That first EST Cola side was built largely around Thailand’s under-20 national team. This time, Buakaew brought players who have already gone through senior international competition, giving the Thai guest team a stronger foundation to compete.
Libero Nichakorn Wansuk has represented Thailand in the 2023 and 2024 editions of the SEA V.League.
Opposites Papatchaya Phontham and Nannaphat Moonjakham both played in the 2026 Volleyball Nations League and SEA V.Cup, while fellow opposite Supawadee Panwilai saw action in the VNL.
The group also includes outside hitter Nirarach Srikuta and setter Serah Ankomah, both of whom were part of Thailand’s 2026 VNL and SEA V.Cup campaigns.
Together, they have been exposed to a level of international competition that is a step above youth tournaments and domestic club play.
Buakaew knows that progression well. A former Thailand national-team libero herself, she has now brought players from that same system into EST Cola’s second PVL campaign, with development no longer the team’s only priority.
Thais on the rise
The timing also fits the current trajectory of Thai volleyball on the international stage.
Thailand has long been a force in Southeast Asia, but its recent results have pushed the program further into the Asian elite.
The country’s biggest breakthrough came shortly before EST Cola’s PVL campaign, when Thailand rallied past China in five sets in the 2026 AVC Women’s Volleyball Continental Championship final, 25-20, 11-25, 23-25, 25-18, 15-10.
That victory delivered Thailand its fourth Asian title and, more significantly, its first Olympic qualification in women’s volleyball, making it the first Southeast Asian nation to book a place in the Olympic women’s tournament.
EST Cola may not be Thailand’s national team outright, but six members of its roster have recently come through that senior program.
The 2024 group came to the Philippines to gain experience, but this current group has shown it came to compete.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
