Thailand’s young EST Cola squad got its first win in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Invitational Conference in thrilling fashion on Monday evening, September 9.

EST Cola twice erased a one-set deficit then saved a match point to stun the Farm Fresh Foxies in five sets, 22-25, 25-17, 19-25, 25-20, 17-15, at the Mall of Asia Arena.

It was the first win of the tournament for the visiting team, after dropping their first three assignments against reigning champion Kurashiki Ablaze of Japan and local powerhouses Creamline and Cignal HD.

Meanwhile, Farm Fresh dropped to 0-3 in the competition.

Warisara Seetaloed starred for EST Cola with 33 points on 29 kills and two aces, but it was Natthawan Phatthaisong who came up with clutch hits in the end game — including the match-clinching ace.

The Foxies had a chance to end the match in four sets but late errors by Caitlin Viray and Angelica Legacion allowed EST Cola to build a 22-18 lead in Set 4.

A crosscourt hit by Asaka Tamaru briefly kept Farm Fresh alive, but back-to-back hits by Seetaloed and a kill from the middle by Sasithorn Jatta sent the match to a decider.

In a back-and-forth fifth frame, it was Farm Fresh that first reached match point, thanks to Trisha Tubu, who fired a hit off the EST Cola net defense for a 14-13 count.

But Phatthaisong scored on back-to-back rallies with the Foxies squandering scoring opportunities as Alyssa Bertolano’s attempts at scoring were well-defended by Seetaloed in the back row.

A Tamaru kill from the back row knotted the count at 15, but she was blocked in the next play by Nattharika Wasan to put EST Cola at match point anew, 16-15.

Phatthaisong then completed the comeback, scoring an ace off Farm Fresh libero Janel Delerio to wrap up the match after two hours and 34 minutes.

EST Cola concluded the preliminary round with a 1-3 record, while Farm Fresh will play Creamline on Wednesday, September 11, at the PhilSports Arena. (ABS-CBN News)