Nakhon Ratchasima QminC VC flirted with disaster but recovered just in time to thwart a gutsy comeback from PLDT, carving out a thrilling 26-24, 25-20, 20-25, 20-25, 15-9 win to secure the top spot in Pool D of the 2025 AVC Women’s Champions League Tuesday, April 22, at the Philsports Arena.

The Thai powerhouse looked dominant early on, racing to a two-set lead, but the High Speed Hitters refused to go quietly. Led by Majoy Baron and Cuban import Wilma Salas, PLDT clawed their way back into contention, forcing a decider and even taking the lead, 8-7, in the fifth.

But when it mattered most, Nakhon Ratchasima responded with poise. Greek reinforcement Eva Chantava nailed a crosscourt kill to tie the game, and a successful challenge on a centerline violation by Kianna Dy swung the momentum firmly back to the Thai side.

A crucial misconnection between Dell Palomata and Salas broke PLDT’s rhythm. Though Salas momentarily trimmed the gap to 9-10, back-to-back errors and decisive hits from Saowapha Soosuk and Kaewkalaya Kamulthala powered the Devil Cat to an 8-1 finishing run and the five-set win.

“We never gave up and we played as a team – that was very important,” said Chantava, who led the Thai club with 16 points off 13 attacks and three aces. “PLDT played amazing defense and had great attackers. We had to adjust to their game.”

The victory gave Nakhon Ratchasima a perfect 2-0 record in the group stage of the tournament supported by Mikasa, Mizuno, and Grand Sport.

With the win, the Thai club sets up a quarterfinal showdown with Creamline, Pool A’s second seed.

Meanwhile, PLDT, which finished with a 1-1 record in Pool D, will need to regroup quickly as it faces a daunting challenge in Pool A top seed Zhetysu VC of Kazakhstan in the knockout quarterfinals on Thursday.