Rondina, Pons rule beach volley tilt
SANTA ROSA, Laguna—Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons rallied from a set down to defeat Alas teammates Sunny Villapando and Dij Rodriguez, 11-21, 21-15, 15-6, and clinch the women’s title in the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) Beach Volleyball Invitational on Sunday at Nuvali Sand Courts.
The victory marked back-to-back golds for Rondina and Pons, who also beat Villapando and Rodriguez in the finals of the PNVF Beach Volleyball National Open last May, with both tournaments organized by Beach Volleyball Republic.
The decorated duo swept Pool A and went on to dominate University of Santo Tomas’ Cameron Villaruz and Lorien Gamboa in the quarterfinals, before dispatching Alas teammates Alexa Polidario and Jenny Gaviola in the semifinals.
In the men’s division, national team stalwarts Ranran Abdilla and James Buytrago capped an undefeated run by overwhelming Ronniel Rosales and Rancel Varga, 21-12, 21-10, in the championship match. The pair did not drop a single set throughout the tournament.
Abdilla and Buytrago also topped Pool A, then routed UST’s Smaela Salon and Alijhan Apdian in the quarterfinals and swept Aldwin Gupiteo and Lance Malinao in the semifinals.
Alas 3’s Kly Orillaneda and Gen Eslapor secured third place in the women’s division with a 21-17, 21-12 win over Polidario and Gaviola. Gupiteo and Malinao, representing UST’s Tiger Sands, rounded out the men’s podium after edging Tolentino and Francisco in a tight 19-21, 21-19, 18-16 battle.
The two-day tournament served as a vital tune-up for the Alas beach volleyball squads bound for the 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Bangkok, Thailand. Rondina and Pons, along with Villapando and Rodriguez, will represent the country in the women’s competition, while Abdilla and Buytrago, together with Rosales and Varga, will compete in the men’s side.
Beach volleyball has been a medal sport in the SEA Games since 2003, with the Philippines collecting three bronze medals each in the men’s and women’s divisions. This year’s tournament runs from Dec. 12 to Dec. 19 at the Huamark Sports Complex.
