Rondina, Pons Gear Up for Tough Nuvali Challenge in Beach Volleyball Pro Tour

Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons are ready to take on Olympians at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Nuvali Challenge, held at the Nuvali Sands Courts.

The duo, who led Alas Pilipinas to a historic gold medal at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok last December, are eager to gain experience and ranking points in this prestigious event — the second-highest level of competition on the tour, supported by the Philippine Sports Commission and Philippine Olympic Committee.

Rondina and Pons will open their main draw campaign on Thursday against an opponent yet to be determined.

“Honestly, it’s really exciting. There are so many Olympians here, and Pons and I are the type of players who seize every opportunity. We’re preparing mentally because we know the competition will be tough,” said Rondina.

“What we achieved at the SEA Games won’t be enough here. We’ll need to give double or even triple the effort to keep up and deliver consistent performances,” she added.

Top-seeded Americans Corinne Quiggle and Chloe Loreen are aiming for their second Beach Pro Tour medal in the fifth Challenge stop, backed by sponsors Rebisco, Akari, Ayala Land, and PLDT.

Other notable competitors include Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medalist Taliqua Clancy with Jana Milutinovic, Australia’s Stefanie Fejes, Paris 2024 Olympians Monika Paulikiene and Aine Raupelyte of Lithuania, American duo Alexis Durish and Audrey Koenig, French Olympians Lezana Placette and Alexia Richard, and defending Nuvali Challenge champions Anniina Parkkinen and Valma Prihti of Finland.

“Even with home-court advantage, it’s a different challenge facing such experienced players. But aside from the pressure, it’s exciting to have this event in the Philippines,” Rondina said.

“It’s great to see fans here, including indoor volleyball supporters experiencing beach volleyball. Competing against Olympians at home is a huge opportunity, and we hope to perform well.”

In the men’s main draw, Ranran Abdilla and Ronniel Rosales will compete, joined by former NBA player Chase Budinger and partner Trevor Crabb. The event is hosted by the City of Santa Rosa, with support from Medical City South Luzon and Jersey Haven.

In the qualifiers, Sofiah Pagara and Khylem Progella advanced to the final round after surviving Germany’s Mareet Maidhof and Tabea Schwarz, 21-19, 28-26. Pagara scored 25 points with Progella contributing eight. They will face Hungary’s Lilla Villam and Stefania Kun for a spot in the main draw.

Other Philippine pairs were less fortunate: Sunny Villapando and Gen Eslapor lost to Canada’s Amy Ozee and Marie-Alex Belanger, 21-14, 21-14; Dij Rodriguez and Kly Orillaneda fell to France’s Marine Kinna and Anouk Dupin, 21-16, 21-11; and Alex Polidario and Jenny Gaviola yielded to China’s Jiang Kaiyue and Jie Dong, 21-17, 21-11.

“This is an excellent opportunity for our Philippine teams to compete at home against international players. The competition level and ranking points are high, making this a significant challenge,” said PNVF president Tonyboy Liao.

“Sisi and Pons are fighters and will give their all, no matter the opponent. We hope all Philippine teams perform well and that the Beach Volleyball Pro Tour Challenge is a success. It’s also a milestone for us, as this is our first time hosting an international event under our administration.”