3 Philippine pairs in beach volley quarterfinals

NAGOYA – For the Alas Pilipinas beach volleyball, the road got a little bumpier, but the destination is still very much in sight.

Cherry Ann “Sisi” Rondina and Bernadeth Pons are through to the Round of 16 in the Asiad competition at Hekinan Ryokuchi Beach Court, despite absorbing a tough three-set loss to Kazakhstan.

Rondina and Pons bowed to the towering Kazakh pair of Merey Kozhakhmet and Laura Kabulbekova, 17-21, 21-10, 10-15, but their earlier wins were enough to secure a knockout round berth – keeping alive the Philippines’ bid for a breakthrough podium.

“We missed the opportunity (for a higher spot), ‘yan lang masasabi ko. Sayang pero bright side pa rin kami,” Rondina said.

“Positive pa rin kami sa mga upcoming days and games namin. Nakakalungkot but at the same time nakaka-excite kung ano pa yung susunod na mangyari,” she added.

They are not alone.

Fellow Filipinas Sofiah Shanine Pagara and Khylem Progella also advanced, and will play for top spot in Pool G today at 9 a.m. against Hong Kong. Both Philippine tandems entered the day with perfect 2-0 cards.

Two pairs in the Last 16 means the Philippines is now just one win away from the medal rounds – uncharted territory for the country.

Since beach volleyball was included in the Asian Games program in 1998, the Philippines has never cracked the podium.

The best finish remains the fifth-place run of Dij Rodriguez and Gen Eslapor in Hangzhou in 2023. In that edition, the Philippines actually sent three pairs to the knockout stage – Rodriguez/Eslapor to the quarterfinals, while Progella/Grydelle Matibag and Jude Garcia/James Buytrago reached the Round of 16.

Now, Rondina and Pons – fresh off their historic SEA Games gold that ended Thailand’s eight-year reign – have a chance to surpass that mark.

On the men’s side, the fight continues tomorrow.

James Buytrago and Ronniel Rosales face a virtual knockout against Vietnam’s Lam Toi Nguyen and Van Viet Tran.