EST Cola, Nxled set for PVL title showdown

Games Tuesday

1:30 p.m. — Farm Fresh vs. Ho Chi Minh, fifth place
4 p.m. — PLDT vs. Creamline, bronze medal
6:30 p.m. — EST Cola vs. Nxled, championship

MANILA — Youthful energy meets veteran poise when EST Cola and Nxled clash for the Premier Volleyball League Invitational championship Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The title match, which few predicted at the start of the tournament, begins at 6:30 p.m.

Either EST Cola, making its first PVL appearance, or first-time finalist Nxled will leave with its first league championship.

The teams reached the final through vastly different paths during a week in which the standings shifted from match to match.

EST Cola lost its opening match and appeared overmatched against a field loaded with established players.

The young Thai team responded by winning its final four elimination-round matches, defeating several title contenders and becoming the first team to secure a championship berth with a 4-1 record.

Nxled also stumbled early but needed help from defending champion PLDT to complete its improbable run to the final.

The High Speed Hitters eliminated Creamline from championship contention with a five-set victory Sunday, allowing Nxled to advance through the tiebreaker.

Creamline’s elimination was one of the tournament’s biggest surprises after the Cool Smashers won their first three matches.

Nxled, Creamline and PLDT finished with identical 3-2 records. The Chameleons claimed the second finals berth with 10 tiebreak points, followed by Creamline with nine and PLDT with eight.

Tuesday’s championship match is also a rematch between EST Cola and Nxled.

EST Cola wants to prove its five-set victory over Nxled on Thursday was no fluke. The Chameleons are looking to erase the memory of letting a seemingly secure win slip away.

Nxled led by one set and held a commanding 20-12 advantage in the fourth frame.

Five points from victory, the Chameleons lost their grip as the Thais mounted a furious comeback, forced a deciding set and completed a 26-24, 21-25, 21-25, 30-28, 15-12 victory.

EST Cola now hopes to complete its breakthrough run with the tournament’s biggest prize.

The Thais are powered by a young core led by Papatchaya Phontham, Nannaphat Moonjakham and Nirarach Srikuta.

Phontham finished the elimination round as the tournament’s second-leading scorer with 97 points, including 84 attacks, but she refused to credit only three players for EST Cola’s success.

“I feel good, but I have to give credit to everyone on the team. If we didn’t have our receivers and our setter, I wouldn’t have been able to attack and score. Everyone contributes to the team. It’s all about teamwork,” said Phontham.

Only PLDT’s Savi Davison scored more, collecting 135 points behind 120 attacks.

Davison recorded a career-high 37 points in PLDT’s victory over Creamline on Sunday.

EST Cola’s roster is built around members of Thailand’s under-21 national team, but the 20-year-old Phontham also has experience in senior international competition.

A SEA V League champion with Thailand, Phontham believes that experience can help steady her team when the pressure peaks.

“I have experience from playing with the senior national team, and I’ll try to use whatever experience I gained there to help the team, whether I can contribute a lot or a little,” she said.

Phontham stressed that individual talent would not be enough to win the championship.

“No matter what, a team is a team. I can’t play by myself. We have to play together as a team. Even if I can help a lot or only a little, if it were just me alone, then it wouldn’t be a team,” she said.

Nxled counters with a roster filled with championship experience.

The Chameleons are making their first PVL finals appearance, but several players are familiar with the pressure of competing for a title.

Captain Myla Pablo, a five-time champion during the V-League and PVL eras, anchors Nxled’s veteran core.

For Pablo, reaching the final was especially satisfying after a grueling schedule gave teams little time to recover.

“Well, I’m super happy, syempre, first time naming mag-finals with Nxled. You can see naman, lahat ng teams pagod din talaga and every day ‘yung games,” said Pablo.

Pablo watched from the stands as PLDT and Creamline played the match that ultimately determined Nxled’s fate.

She believes conditioning and stamina could be as important as tactics in the championship.

“Physically, pagod din talaga kaya sabi namin kung ano ‘yung magiging resulta ng game ng Creamline and PLDT, kailangan paghandaan pa rin talaga namin sa Tuesday,” she said.

Pablo said the Chameleons must execute, communicate and trust the roles that carried them to the final.

“I think ‘yung kailangan talaga naming gawin this Tuesday is ibigay namin ‘yung best namin. ‘Yung communication ng bawat isa, and ‘yung roles namin sa loob ng court, kailangan ma-apply namin,” she added.

Pablo also expressed gratitude to PLDT after its victory over Creamline opened the door for Nxled.

“Actually, kinabahan ako. Sabi ko kung ano ‘yung magiging resulta nito, I’m super proud kay coach Rald (Ricafort) and the PLDT players, kahit na matalo sila. Pero ayun nga, nanalo sila against Creamline, so I’m super happy and sana sa bronze makuha nila ng Tuesday,” said Pablo.

Nxled’s quick development of team chemistry has also fueled its unexpected run, particularly after veterans Gel Cayuna and Jackie Acuña joined the lineup.

“Sobrang hirap din talaga kasi may dalawa kaming kasama na sila Gel (Cayuna) and Jackie (Acuña), pero as you can see naman, hindi rin naman kami nahirapan sa kanila. Ang bilis din talaga naming makuha ‘yung connection ng bawat isa. Syempre, hindi rin kami nahirapan kasi ‘yung mga kasama namin veteran din talaga. So I’m really happy din talaga na nakapag-finals kami sa Invitational,” she said.

The veteran Chameleons now face a young Thai team playing with the energy and fearlessness that come with having little to lose and plenty to prove.

Pablo acknowledged EST Cola’s youthful edge but believes Nxled’s experience can provide the composure needed with the championship within reach.

“Yung Thailand kasi mga bata pa ‘yan eh, so ganado pa maglaro, hindi pa napapagod talaga. Kami naman, as a veteran team, kailangan talaga namin ibigay ‘yung best namin sa loob ng court. Laruin lang talaga namin, kumbaga, kung ano ‘yung sasabihin ng mga coaches namin, papakinggan lang namin,” she said.

EST Cola has already proved it can knock Nxled off its stride. The Chameleons now have an opportunity to respond with the championship on the line.

Before the title match, PLDT and Creamline meet at 4 p.m. for the bronze medal, while Farm Fresh and Ho Chi Minh play for fifth place at 1:30 p.m.

One match. One crown. Two teams that have already defied expectations.