Strong Group sweeps Earthpower, reaches Formosa Invitational final

Strong Group Athletics secured a place in the championship game of the 2026 Formosa Women’s International Invitational Tournament after sweeping Chinese Taipei’s Earthpower EPV, 25-20, 25-19, 26-24, on Saturday at Xinzhuang Stadium in Taiwan.

The Philippine side, featuring players from Farm Fresh and ZUS Coffee, overcame a tight battle in the standings to emerge as the top team in its pool.

Strong Group, Earthpower, and Thailand’s Supreme Tip Chonburi-E.Tech all finished with 1-1 records, but the Filipinas claimed the top spot through a superior set ratio of 1.33. Supreme Tip placed second with a 1.00 ratio, while Earthpower settled for third at 0.75.

Earthpower’s upset victory over Supreme Tip, 25-18, 27-25, 31-29, 32-30, gave Strong Group the opportunity to advance to the title match.

“We’re just happy because we just played our game today and we’re not expecting too much; we just played our game well,” said middle blocker Zam Nolasco.

“We just accepted our loss last game because we just want to gain experience and exposure here. Today, we just played the most out of it.”

Strong Group will face Japan SV.League club Aleeza Aichi for the gold medal on Sunday at 6 p.m.

The Filipinas looked headed for a comfortable victory after taking the first two sets, but Earthpower mounted a strong challenge in the third frame.

The Taiwanese side erased an 18-21 deficit with four straight points to grab a 22-21 lead before Trisha Tubu responded with back-to-back kills to put Strong Group ahead again, 23-22.

After the teams traded points to reach a 24-all deadlock, Tubu delivered another crosscourt winner before an Earthpower error sealed the victory.

Tubu led the way for Strong Group with 28 points on 24 kills and four blocks. Nolasco and Ces Molina added 12 points apiece, while Jonna Perdido and Riza Nogales contributed seven and six points, respectively.

Strong Group will now aim to complete its tournament run with a championship victory against Aleeza Aichi.