Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons may have exited the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Nuvali Challenge without a win, but not without proving they could stand their ground against some of the world’s rising beach volleyball pairs.
Facing a much taller and more experienced Swiss tandem in Annique Niederhauser and Menia Bentele on Thursday at the Nuvali Sands Courts, the Alas Pilipinas duo pushed the match to the limit before bowing out, 20-22, 22-24, in a tightly contested battle that showcased both their grit and growing chemistry.
The loss officially ended the Filipinas’ campaign in the tournament after finishing the modified pool play at 0-2, but the scoreline hardly reflected how competitive the match truly was.
After narrowly dropping the opening set, Rondina and Pons responded with arguably their best stretch of the tournament in the second frame. The Filipinas dictated the tempo early and eventually built a 19-16 lead after Bentele committed a costly service error that energized the home crowd.
For a moment, it looked like the hosts were headed for a deciding third set.
But the Swiss pair refused to crack under pressure.
Niederhauser and Bentele answered with a timely 4-0 surge to snatch back control, before surviving a tense extension capped by Niederhauser’s block and Bentele’s finishing attack to clinch a Round of 24 berth in the tournament organized by the Philippine National Volleyball Federation and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission under chairman Patrick Gregorio.
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Despite falling short of the next round of the #BeachProTour Nuvali Challenge, Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons remain proud after proving they can compete against world-class tandems#ReadMore
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Despite the heartbreak, Rondina took pride in how quickly she and Pons managed to compete at a high level together.
“I’m proud of the result. It’s just nice because Pons only trained with me for one and a half weeks, but we were able to keep up with them,” said Rondina after the loss.
For Pons, the tournament also served as a reminder of the massive leap in competition between regional events and the world stage.
“The level of competition in the Challenge is really different. So I’m very grateful to compete against volleyball players from around the world,” Pons added.
Bentele paced Switzerland with 13 points, while Niederhauser contributed 12 as the European pair once again ended the Filipinas’ Nuvali campaign after also defeating them in last year’s edition.
Rondina carried the scoring load for Alas Pilipinas with 12 points, while Pons chipped in six markers in their final match of the tournament backed by Rebisco, Akari, Ayala Land, and PLDT.
Earlier in the day, the Filipina tandem also absorbed a straight-set defeat to Denmark’s Sofia Bisgaard and Cirkeline Hog, 19-21, 17-21.
Still, even in defeat, Rondina and Pons showed flashes of a partnership capable of challenging established international teams — something the Philippines hopes to continue building moving forward.
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