TWO of the country’s beach volleyball heroines from the 33rd Southeast Asian Games found themselves on opposite sides of the taraflex as central figures in the PVL’s fiercest sister act.
It was Bernadeth Pons and Creamline that prevailed over Sisi Rondina and Choco Mucho in a 27-25, 17-25, 25-21, 25-15 romp before a roaring, 12,600-strong crowd at the Mall of Asia Arena on Tuesday.
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Having missed the previous installment of the Rebisco Clasico, which Creamline also won during last year’s Reinforced Conference, Pons’ return now gives her a 7-1 edge over Rondina’s Flying Titans.
But beyond the head-to-head numbers, the weight of the matchup runs deeper.
In the sands, they were partners. Indoors, they are adversaries. And in both settings, they mirror each other’s unrelenting grit.
“Normal lang naman [‘yung pakiramdam] kasi after ng beach, alam naman namin na babalik kaming indoor. Alam na namin na maglalaban at maglalaban talaga kami,” Pons said.
“Challenge din ‘yun para sa bawat isa sa’min kasi alam ko na sobrang competitive niya rin talaga, sobrang ganda niya kasama at sobrang ganda niya ring kalaban.”
Unlike several of her previous wins against Choco Mucho, this one may have been Pons’ most complete showing yet with an emphatic triple-double of 19 points, 18 receptions and 13 digs.
For her part, Rondina answered with 15 points and 14 receptions, underscoring how razor-thin the margins remain whenever they collide.
And while the glow of beach volleyball gold in Thailand may be singular, the electricity of a packed indoor arena to host her on-court reunion with Rondina offers a different kind of thrill.
“Ilang months din akong hindi nakapaglaro ng indoor at iba pa rin talaga ‘yung aura ng pagpasok dito sa MOA [Arena] kasi sobrang daming tao at sobrang saya kasi kalaban namin, Choco Mucho pa, at isa pa sa matitibay na teams ngayong conference,” Pons said.
Forging new connections
The 'SiPons' tandem in beach volleyball operates with near-telepathic timing forged by years of shared reps in the sands.
But back in indoor play, Pons must now accelerate chemistry with another Alas Pilipinas cornerstone in Jia de Guzman.
Their only prior PVL stint together came during the brief 2023 Invitational Conference, where Creamline finished runner-up to Kurashiki Ablaze.
The sample size of their league partnership may be small, but the potential remains vast.
“Nandu’n pa rin ‘yung adjustments kasi ang daming bumalik sa’min, si Jia, tapos ako rin,” Pons said.
“Nu’ng last na nag-abot kami, sobrang iksi lang nu’n eh. Ngayon pa lang ‘yung time ulit na ibi-build namin ‘yung connection na setter to spiker at every day namin ‘yun tinatrabaho.”
Beach volleyball demanded patience and process before it yielded gold. Indoors, as Pons and Rondina have shown, the same principles apply.
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