UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas star Sisi Rondina begins life after her amazing five-year UAAP career as she teams up with Bernadeth Pons to fight for the country’s pride in the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour starting Thursday at the White House Beach Station 1.
After the Tigresses settled for silver medal following their loss to Ateneo in Game Three of the UAAP volleyball finals, Rondina reunites with Pons as they banner other Filipina pairs including Dij Rodriguez and Bea Tan, Jackie Estoquia and DM Demontaño, and Fiola Ceballos and Patty Orendain in the main draw.
A fifth women's pair bannered by Rondina’s former partner in UST beach volleyball Babylove Barbon along with Gen Eslapor will go through the qualifiers.
Pons is fresh from completing Petron XCS’s ‘three-peat’ together with Rondina’s replacement in Rodriguez in the Philippine Superliga Beach Volleyball Challenge Cup last week in Lingayen, Pangasinan.
The Philippines is seeking to surpass the quarterfinal finish by Rondina and Dzi Gervacio in the Manila Open last year.
Meanwhile, Air Force's Ranran Abdilla and Jesse Lopez will spearhead the country's men's campaign, which also includes collegiate standouts James Buytrago and Krung Arbasto, and Cebu's Mike Abria and Jade Becaldo.
The World Tour is organized by Beach Volleyball Republic and it attracted a total of 20 women's and 28 men's teams from 17 countries led by traditional powerhouse Japan.
“We're really expecting a heavy challenge from Japan since they are extensively preparing for the Olympics," said Charo Soriano, the BVR co-founder who is also this year's tournament director. “Teams have been training for this and we've been helping them through the BVR Tours we've been holding.”
"The goal of the BVR national tour is to give our local players an opportunity to increase their competition level to the international level,” she added.
Aside from the Beach World Tour, the BVR will also take part of the beach cleanup drive in Boracay along with a Sandroots beach volleyball workshop with the players teaching the youths about the sport.
“We're bringing our Sandroots program with us to teach children from the Ati tribes to learn beach volleyball with us and the players right before the medal matches," said Soriano.
“We're very excited to go to Boracay. We'll be helping in promoting its rehabilitation through the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour.”
The international tournament will be Boracay's first major sporting event since its reopening last October.
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