A team that couldn’t win a single match all of last season just knocked out the defending champion. Cambodia stunned Thailand, 25-21, 16-25, 25-23, 25-17, on Saturday, July 18, at the Candon City Arena, ending the Thais’ reign and punching a ticket to the gold medal match of the SEA V Cup — a result that would’ve sounded impossible just months ago.

The victory, secured in Week One of the tournament held at the City of Candon, guarantees Cambodia at least a silver medal — a staggering leap for a squad that finished winless in eight matches last season. It also erased any doubt about the legitimacy of Cambodia’s tournament-opening upset over Alas Pilipinas, proving that giant-killing run was no fluke.

The event is presented by the Philippine Sports Commission, the Philippine Olympic Committee, and the City of Candon, headed by Mayor Eric D. Singson.

Veasna Leads the Charge as Cambodia’s Mentality Shift Pays Off

Voeurn Veasna once again fronted the Cambodian charge, piling up 21 points on 17 attacks, two blocks, and two aces to power the upset. Kuon Mom chipped in 13 points on 10 attacks, two aces, and a block, while Thy Menghuong added 12 points on 11 attacks and a block.

Veasna, a former teammate of Philippine star Bryan Bagunas during their time together in the Taipei pro league, pointed to a shift in approach as the driving force behind Cambodia’s turnaround.

“The most that has changed is mentality,” Veasna said. “We learned from our mistakes.”

He said the team’s game plan was simple: block out everything except the task directly in front of them.

“We don’t care about tomorrow, today we just finished our game … tomorrow we fight again,” Veasna said.

Thailand’s Struggles Continue Despite Strong Preliminary Run

Thailand entered the match unbeaten in the preliminaries, but the loss extends a rough stretch for the Thais, who also finished sixth at the Asian Volleyball Confederation Men’s Cup. Thungkham Chaiwat led Thailand with 20 points, while Khonhan Amornthep added 17, but it wasn’t enough to hold off Cambodia’s surge.

Thailand now drops into the bronze medal match, where it will face the loser of the Indonesia-Vietnam semifinal.

Elsewhere in the tournament, Alas Pilipinas salvaged fifth place with a hard-fought, three-set win over unheralded Myanmar, 25-21, 28-26, 25-22, on Saturday.

With Cambodia’s stunning run now two wins deep, all eyes turn to the gold medal match — where a team with zero victories a year ago finds itself one win away from a championship.