Sta. rosa: Filipino pair Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons suffered a 19-21, 17-21 loss to Denmark's Sofia Bisgaard and Cirkeline Hog Thursday in the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Nuvali Challenge at the Nuvali Sands Courts in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. Rondina and Pons, who secured a Southeast Asian Games gold medal last year, were relegated to the losers' bracket in the event organized by the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF), led by Tonyboy Liao.
According to Philippines News Agency, Rondina expressed that the match was challenging due to limited training time; she had almost three weeks while Pons had around two weeks of preparation. Despite the setback, Rondina managed to score 13 points against the experienced Danish team, which regularly competes in Elite 16 tournaments. Rondina acknowledged their opponents' skill level but emphasized their commitment to giving their best, attributing the loss to the superior performance of the Danish duo.
The Filipino team will now face Switzerland's Annique Niederhauser and Menia Bentele, who eliminated them in the previous year's Challenge round of 24. Pons, contributing 12 points, reflected on the defeat, noting the need to refine their partnership and reduce unforced errors. She highlighted the importance of maintaining their passion for the game as they approach their next do-or-die match, understanding the significance of minimizing errors at this competitive level.
In contrast, Bisgaard and Hog are set to compete against Ukraine's Valentyna Davidova and Anhelina Khmil, who recently triumphed over the Swiss pair Niederhauser and Bentele.
In the men's division, former NBA player Chase Budinger and partner Trevor Crabb secured a victory against Canada's Luke de Greeff and Tynan Gannett, winning 21-9, 21-13. Budinger, who transitioned from the NBA to the World Tour, expressed his enthusiasm for participating in the tournament, highlighting his previous positive experience during the Olympic run. Despite limited practice time with Crabb, Budinger viewed the tournament as a valuable opportunity to develop their partnership with an eye on an Olympic run in Los Angeles 2028.
Other notable first-round winners included Paris 2024 Olympians Monika Paulikiene and Aine Raupelyte of Lithuania and men's top seeds Eylon Elazar and Kevin Cuzmiciov of Israel, who secured victories against their respective opponents.
