PH women’s beach volleyball team sees action in AVC tilts in Thailand

FILE–Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons AVC PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine women’s beach volleyball team, led by Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons, returns to action with two tournaments in Thailand starting this weekend.

They will see action in the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Asian Beach Tour Roi-et Open from September 10 to 12 and AVC Senior Women’s Beach Volleyball Championship from September 14 to 17.

After winning the country’s second straight bronze medal in the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam last May, Pons and Rondina are back representing the country, while Rodriguez, who teamed up with Dzi Gervacio in 2019 and Jovelyn Gonzaga early this year, will have a new partner in Gen Eslapor.

Eslapor won a bronze for the national team with partner Nene Bautista in the Australian Beach Volleyball Tour Women’s Challenger Division held at Coolangatta Beach last March.

The beach volleyball team, coached by head coach Paul Jan Doloiras and assistant Romnick Rico, flew to Thailand with the Philippine women’s volleyball team, composed of the Creamline Cool Smashers, for its Asean Grand Prix stint in Nakhon Ratchasima from Friday to Sunday.

The Rondina-Pons and Rodriguez-Eslapor pairs are among 22 teams competing in the Roi-et Open starting on Saturday.

Host Thailand has four teams and will face two squads each from Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, and Chinese Taipei with Malaysia, Vanuatu, and Vietnam fielding one team each.

After a three day-tournament in the Roi-et Open, the team of Rondina and Pons and the pair of Rodriguez and Eslapor will see action in the 32-team field AVC Senior Women’s Beach Volleyball Championship, which has five squads from Thailand, three from Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, and Singapore, two from Chinese Taipei, and one from Vanuatu and Vietnam.