MANILA, Philippines — EST Cola took a page out of Nxled’s playbook Tuesday – not by trying to sustain a fast start, but by showing the greater value of knowing how to recover when things begin to sputter.
And once the Thais found their bearing and rhythm, there was little the Farm Fresh Foxies could do to stop them.
EST Cola shook off a shaky opening, made the necessary adjustments and quickly settled into the disciplined, no-nonsense brand of volleyball that has made Thailand a regional power, turning a potentially troublesome start into a convincing 25-21, 25-16, 25-22 victory over the Foxies in the PVL Invitational at the Araneta Coliseum.
It was a victory that went beyond the sweep.
With setter Natnicha Saelao making her presence felt not only in playmaking but also as a middle blocker, EST Cola mounted a furious fightback in the opening frame, dominated the next and unleashed a strong finishing kick in a tense-filled endgame of the third.
The Thais blew a 20-16 lead in Set 3 but shattered a 21-all count with a decisive four-point run. Nirarach Srikuta delivered a powerful hit, Papatchaya Phontham followed with an ace, and Trisha Tubu sent her attack sailing long to put Thailand in control.
Phontham served long on the next play, but it only delayed the inevitable. Saelao then fooled the Farm Fresh defense by shaping up as if to set before swiping a clever hook to Zone 6 for the match-clinching 1-2 play, leaving the Foxies stung and stunned.
The one-hour, 22-minute victory moved EST Cola into the thick of the Invitational race at 1-1, creating a four-way tie in the six-team showcase.
More importantly, it offered a glimpse of what the Thais can become in this tournament.
EST Cola did not simply recover from a bad opening. It showed the ability to analyze what was not working, make adjustments on the fly and return to the fundamentals, including discipline, speed, composure, collective defense and an unwillingness to surrender a point easily.
Against Farm Fresh, those traits turned a 14-18 hole in the opening set into the beginning of a three-set statement.
Phontham topscored with 17 points, while Srikuta and Nannaphat Moonjakham added nine markers apiece. Nattharika Wasan and Saelao chipped in seven points each.
However, it was Saelao who shone brightest, dishing out 22 excellent sets – 10 more than her counterpart Louie Romero – and capping her stellar performance with four blocks to the delight of coach Wanna Buakaew.
“Today, we are so happy because of our teamwork, and I helped in everything,” said Saelao. “I was so excited for today and a bit pressured.” “Thank you for the experience and thank you to the Filipino fans for coming here. Thank you for everything,” she added.
EST Cola dominated Farm Fresh across all statistical categories, out-hitting them in attacks (41-34), blocks (8-4), and aces (5-4). The Thais also capitalized on 21 points off Farm Fresh's errors while conceding only 17 of their own, underscoring their control over the Foxies.
Coming off a 25-point performance against Ho Chi Minh, Tubu was held to 15 points. Ces Molina and Ara Galang added nine and seven points, respectively, as coach Koji Tsuzurabara struggled to get consistent scoring support from the rest of the roster.
More than anything, it was a display of character and composure from an Under-25 team determined to redeem itself after a lackluster opening-day performance.
EST Cola absorbed a four-set defeat to PLDT in Monday’s opener of the nine-day championship, leaving the Thais with little time to dwell on what went wrong. Like Nxled, which earlier stunned PLDT in three, EST Cola showed that setbacks need not dictate what comes next.
The response was immediate.
The Thais recalibrated, tightened their defense, rediscovered their rhythm and, most importantly, played with the patience and discipline expected of a team from one of Asia’s volleyball hotbeds.
Farm Fresh, meanwhile, paid dearly for allowing itself to believe that the hard part was already over.
But the EST Cola side that had looked tentative and vulnerable against PLDT was suddenly nowhere in sight. In its place was a composed, aggressive and well-organized Thai squad, moving the ball with purpose and defending with the stubbornness that has long characterized Thailand’s rise in regional volleyball.
The Thais carried that momentum into the second set and quickly seized control, taking a 16-12 lead before pulling away late for a commanding nine-point win.
Farm Fresh, so impressive against the Vietnamese side a day earlier, suddenly found itself struggling to keep pace with an opponent that had solved the early problems and was now dictating the tempo.
EST Cola did not let up in the third.
The Thais opened an 8-6 lead and maintained their grip throughout, repeatedly frustrating Farm Fresh comeback attempts with gritty floor defense, timely blocks and relentless pressure at the net to storm to a 20-16 lead.
Despite allowing Farm Fresh to draw level, EST Cola regrouped and uncorked a strong windup to frustrate the Foxies. TMT
