Almost two months after making history together, the Alas Pilipinas beach volleyball duo of Bernadeth Pons and Sisi Rondina faced each other once again — this time as opponents during the 2026 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference last Tuesday night.
It was Pons who came out on top, leading Creamline past Rondina’s Choco Mucho in four sets, 27-25, 17-25, 25-21, 25-15, marking their first win in the all-local tournament at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Pons had recently helped the Philippines secure its first-ever gold medal in beach volleyball alongside Rondina at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games last December. She approached the matchup like any other game, but admitted that facing a player of her close friend Rondina’s caliber was no easy task.
She recognized Rondina as not only an exceptional teammate but also a formidable opponent, making their encounter both highly competitive and deeply meaningful.
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“Wala lang,” Pons said with a laugh.
“Normal lang naman kasi after ng beach, kasi alam naman namin na babalik talaga kami sa indoor. Na maglalaban at maglalaban talaga kami,” added the former Reinforced Conference MVP.
Pons contributed 19 points, along with 18 excellent receptions and 13 excellent digs, finishing with a triple-double. On the other hand, the former All-Filipino Conference MVP Rondina recorded 15 markers.
“Challenge din ‘yun para sa bawat isa sa amin. Alam ko na sobrang competitive niya rin talaga, sobrang ganda niyang kasama, at sobrang ganda niya kalaban,” Pons said.
She also admitted she missed the energy of the crowd and the lively atmosphere of matches like the Creamline–Choco Mucho clash, saying that being back on the indoor court rekindled the excitement of competitive play.
But more than anything, the former Far Eastern University standout said she was just happy to guide the Cool Smashers to a big bounce-back win, especially after a disappointing straight-sets loss to PLDT in their opening game.
“Sobrang saya rin na makapaglaro ulit dito sa MOA kasi ilang months din na hindi ako nakalaro ng indoor, so iba pa rin ‘yung aura ng pagpasok mo kanina kasi sobrang daming tao,” Pons shared.
“Sobrang saya din talaga kasi kalaban namin ‘yung Choco pa, isa sa mga matibay na team din talaga this conference. Sobrang happy din na nakuha namin ‘yung win.”
