EST Cola is the 2026 PVL Invitational champion. The Thai guest club swept Nxled in a 25-22, 25-21, 25-19 win on Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, becoming only the second foreign guest team to win a PVL title after Japan’s Kurashiki Ablaze ruled the 2023 Invitational.
EST Cola caps a comeback run with a sweep
The Thais are no strangers to Philippine volleyball, having made previous stints in both the PVL and the now-defunct PSL. This season they dropped their opening game to PLDT, then stormed back with five straight wins to close out the crown.
Twenty-year-old lefty opposite hitter Papatchaya Phontham led the sweep with 15 points, while Nannaphat Moonjakham added 11 and Nirarach Srikuta chipped in seven. Nattharika Wasan delivered the deciding point of Set 1 with a soft running kill, and EST Cola pulled away late in Set 3 on a 6-1 closing run to seal the title.
Nxled’s silver is still history
Nxled had gone into the finals as the hometown challenger, and even in a straight-sets loss the Chameleons made their own piece of history. The silver is Nxled’s first-ever podium finish in PVL history. Jonah Sabete-Escamillan led the losing side with 11 points, while Myla Pablo and MJ Phillips scored 10 and nine, respectively.
Phontham named first guest-team MVP
The tournament added one more line to the history books when Phontham was named the first guest-team MVP in PVL history, a fitting cap for a club that had already ended Creamline’s unbeaten run earlier in the event.
The final podium
| Medal | Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | EST Cola (Thailand) | Swept Nxled 25-22, 25-21, 25-19 |
| Silver | Nxled | First podium finish in franchise history |
| Bronze | PLDT | Beat Creamline 25-20, 20-25, 25-21, 25-22 |
PLDT completed the podium by beating Creamline in four sets earlier the same day to claim the bronze medal.
