The duo of Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons emerged champions of the PNVF Beach Volleyball Invitational after coming from a set down to defeat Sunny Villapando and Dij Rodriguez, 11-21, 21-15, 15-6, in the finals at the Nuvali Sand Courts in Laguna.
This is the Rondina-Pons pair's first win this year, after they also won gold in May in another PNVF event where they also defeated Villapando and Rodriguez. In today's tournament, they swept Pool A, defeated the UST duo in the quarterfinals, and defeated their Alas teammates in the semifinals.
In the men’s division, Ranran Abdilla and James Buytrago showed off their skills, after defeating Ronniel Rosales and Rancel Varga, 21-12, 21-10. They did not drop a single set from pool games to the finals.
The Alas 3 duo of Kly Orillaneda and Gen Eslapor took third place after defeating Polidario and Gaviola, 21-17, 21-12. On the men’s side, Aldwin Gupiteo and Lance Malinao completed the podium after narrow wins, 19-21, 21-19, 18-16.
The two-day match was a good preparation for the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand next month. The Philippines will be represented by Rondina and Pons, and Rodriguez and Villapando in the women’s division; while Buytrago and Abdilla, and Rosales and Varga in the men’s division. The beach volleyball event will be held from December 12–19 in Bangkok.
