‘Si-Pons’ tandem to stay focused on Asiad beach volley prep, out for PVL on Tour

Alas Pilipinas Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons in action during the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Nuvali Challenge. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

SANTA ROSA, Laguna—Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons are prioritizing the Philippine bid in the 2026 Asian Games by opting to stay with Alas Pilipinas beach volleyball squad instead of returning to their respective Premier Volleyball League squads for the next conference.

With the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya set from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4 in Japan, the Southeast Asian Games gold medalists said their focus is now on gaining more international exposure and experience through overseas tournaments as part of their buildup for the continental meet.

“I’m thankful to our (team) managements for allowing us to focus on beach volleyball until after the Asian Games,” Pons said. “We’re really looking forward to the tournaments we’ll be joining abroad because they’ll give us more exposure and experience to further improve our game as preparation for the Asian Games.”

Rondina and Pons will miss the PVL on Tour and will return to their respective club teams in the Reinforced Conference, with Rebisco—which owns Choco Mucho, where Rondina plays, and Creamline—giving them clearance and full support to represent the country on the sands.

“We’re still really looking forward to the positive things and the experience we’ll gain from joining international tournaments,” Rondina said. “We’ll continue training and preparing for everything we need to work on. Our biggest goal is really the Asian Games.

“Right now, we’re just waiting and praying that everything pushes through as planned.”

Pons and Rondina missed the Round of 24 in the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Nuvali Challenge after a heartbreaking 20-22, 22-24 loss to Switzerland’s Annique Niederhauser and Menia Bentele on Thursday at Nuvali Sands Courts. But they remain proud of their run against world-class players.

Alas men Ranran Abdilla and Ronniel Rosales couldn’t finish their Nuvali Challenge campaign, as Rosales had a sudden spike in blood pressure at the start of the second set and eventually gave up a 21-10, 3-2 result to Hagen Smith and Ryan Ierna.

Abdilla said that their team decided to withdraw from the do-or-die match as a precaution for Rosales, handing the walkover win to England’s Frederick Bialokoz and Issa Batrane.

“We already talked about it, and of course, this wasn’t something we wanted to happen. Situations like this really happen sometimes,” said Abdilla. “Actually, I experienced something similar last year, too. So I think it’s really about acceptance and learning from it.”