PHILIPPINE women’s beach volleyball teams got swept by Indonesian squads as their 30th Southeast Asian Games campaigns got off on the wrong foot on Friday evening at the converted Subic Tennis Court.
Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons fell to 2018 Asian Games bronze medalist Dhita Juliana and Putu Utami, 18-21, 21-16, 13-15 after blowing a 13-12 lead in the final set.
The Philippines held a 13-12 lead in the third set after back-to-back hits from Pons and Rondina but Dhita scored three straight points to steal the victory.
“Alam namin na kaya namin kaso nagkaroon kami lapses,” said Pons after the loss.
Dzi Gervacio and Dij Rodriguez tried to force a rubber match for the Philippines but the second pair of Indonesia, Allysah Mutakharah and Desi Ratnasari, completed the sweep via 14-21, 16-21 victory for the early Pool A lead.
“Di naman mahirap kalaban indonesia. Medyo nawala lang kami sa game plan namin. Nag-aadjust pa kami para sa sa susunod na laban namin, mas maayos na,” Rodriguez said.
Gervacio agreed: “This is the first real tournament that we partnered. Wala pa masyado yung chemistry at intensity pero ngayong na-experience na namin, next game alam na namin.”
Unlike the Philippine men’s beach volleyball teams that swept squads from Timor Leste in the morning, the Filipina beach volleybelles lost their first assignment in Pool A.
But Rondina insisted that their medal quest is not yet over as they seek to bounce back against Vietnamese squads on Sunday.
“Hindi kami bibitaw. Yun pinaka-importante sa lahat eh,” Rondina said.
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