Papatchaya Phontham made history on Tuesday night after becoming the first player from a guest team to win the PVL’s Most Valuable Player award.
The 20‑year‑old opposite hitter capped her breakthrough campaign by helping EST Cola capture the 2026 PVL Invitational Conference title after sweeping the Nxled Chameleons in the championship match at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Thai side became only the second guest team to win the Invitational crown, following Japan’s Kurashiki Ablaze in 2023.
Phontham’s Numbers Tell the Story
Papatchaya Phontham entered the finals as one of the tournament’s top offensive weapons, finishing the preliminary round second in scoring with 97 points on 84 attacks, 7 aces, and 6 blocks.
She also converted 35.74% of her attacks, good for third in spiking efficiency, while her 0.37 aces per set ranked fourth in the league. Her numbers earned her both the MVP and Best Opposite Spiker awards.
Outside Spikers Shine
Meanwhile, the PLDT High Speed Hitters’ Savi Davison and Nxled’s Jonah Sabete‑Escamillan were named the Best Outside Spikers.
Davison led the preliminary‑round scoring with 135 points and ranked second in spiking efficiency at 37.97%. She also averaged 0.65 blocks per set, sixth‑best in the league. The PLDT star ranked sixth in reception efficiency at 41.92% and seventh in digs with 3.00 per set.
Sabete‑Escamillan finished fifth in scoring with 84 points while ranking fifth in both blocks and aces, averaging 0.65 blocks and 0.35 aces per set. Her 47.62% reception efficiency was third‑best in the tournament.
Davison earned her third All‑Premier Team selection, while Sabete‑Escamillan received the distinction for the first time.
Middle Blockers Share Honors
The Creamline Cool Smashers’ Jaja Santiago‑Minowa and Nxled’s MJ Phillips shared the Best Middle Blocker award.
Santiago‑Minowa finished third in scoring with 92 points and led the tournament with 18 blocks. Phillips ranked seventh in scoring with 79 points and tallied 14 blocks.
It was Santiago‑Minowa’s second Best Middle Blocker award, while Phillips earned her third All‑Premier Team selection.
Setter and Libero Awards
Nxled’s Gel Cayuna and PLDT’s Kath Arado completed the individual award winners.
Cayuna claimed her sixth Best Setter award after averaging 5.50 assists per set, third‑best in the category, while also scoring 27 points in the preliminary round.
Arado, meanwhile, added another Best Libero award to her collection, claiming the honor for the seventh time. She led all players with 5.70 digs per set, well ahead of the second‑ranked player at 3.43.
With Phontham leading the way, EST Cola capped its historic championship run with its young Thai star making PVL history of her own.
