Hours before Alas Women’s five-set defeat to Australia in the 2026 AVC Women’s Cup in Candon, Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons gave a good fight but ultimately fell to the experience of another Australian team in Pingtung.

The Philippine beach volleyball tandem settled for a silver medal in the 2026 AVC Beach Pro Tour Pingtung Open after bowing to Australia’s Taliqua Clancy and Stefanie Fejes, 19-21, 12-21, in the women’s final on Sunday.

Rondina and Pons pushed the taller Australian pair to the limit in the opening set, threatening to force an extension after trimming the deficit to 19-20. However, a service error by Pons handed Clancy and Fejes the crucial final point of the frame.

The Australians then took full control in the second set, storming to a 7-1 lead and maintaining their dominance the rest of the way to secure the championship.

Despite the loss, Rondina and Pons completed a breakthrough campaign, becoming the first Philippine women’s beach volleyball pair to reach an AVC-level final.

The reigning Southeast Asian Games gold medalists won five consecutive matches en route to the title showdown.

They punched their ticket to the final after defeating familiar Thai rivals Worapeerachayakorn Kongphopsarutawadee and Taravadee Naraphonapat, 21-17, 26-24, in a tightly contested semifinal on Saturday.

Earlier, the Filipinas stunned Australia’s top-ranked duo of Jasmine Fleming and Elizabeth Alchin, 21-18, 33-31, in the quarterfinals.

Rondina and Pons also swept Pool F before eliminating Hong Kong’s Wong Man Ching and Tsang Ngok Ling, 21-10, 21-16, in the Round of 16 on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Philippines’ other two pairs saw their campaigns end in the Round of 16 despite topping their respective pools.

Sunny Villapando and Dij Rodriguez fell to New Zealand’s Grace Tiplady and Lani Rawle, 21-15, 21-18, while Khy Progella and Sofiah Pagara were outlasted by Japan’s Takemi Nishibori and Riko Tsujimura, 9-21, 27-25, 10-15.

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CANDON, Ilocos Sur – Alyssa Solomon is determined to find greater consistency as Alas Pilipinas continues its campaign in the 2026 AVC Women’s Volleyball Cup, presented by the Philippine Sports Commission.

Solomon stepped up for the Philippines on Sunday, pouring in a game-high 23 points built on 22 attacks and one block in her tournament debut.

However, her effort was not enough as the host nation failed to sustain its momentum and eventually ran out of gas against Australia in a grueling five-set defeat, 22-25, 25-23, 25-18, 15-25, 11-15, at the Candon City Arena here.

“Actually, ‘di ako nakontento sa naging game ko kanina, lalo na ’yung fourth set ata. Parang ‘di na ako gano’n naka-contribute, so parang ‘yun talaga ‘yung gusto kong i-improve pa,” said the 6-foot-1 opposite spiker.

Solomon sat out the Philippines’ opening-day 25-16, 25-12, 25-14 victory over Uzbekistan last Saturday in the tournament co-presented by the FIVB, AVC, Volleyball World, and Candon City led by Mayor Eric Singson, as she continued to integrate into the team.

The former Osaka import made her first appearance against Australia, checking in during the opening set as Alas Pilipinas searched for an immediate spark off the bench.

While she delivered a strong performance, Solomon admitted that she is still working her way back to peak form as she continues to regain her rhythm and consistency.

“Proud pa rin ako sa nangyari, kasi maraming learnings na nakuha sa game na ‘to. And mag-i-improve pa rin naman kami since ilang weeks pa lang naman kami magkakasama so gagawin din namin ‘to as team bond, and mag-i-improve lang kami for the next games,” she said.

Despite having limited preparation time with the national team, Solomon said her transition has been smooth, largely because she was already familiar with many of her teammates.

“Actually, ‘di naman siya naging mahirap since kilala ko naman ‘yung iba, and Creamline naman, and naki-training din naman kami sa Creamline dati. Hindi siya gano’n kahirap,” said Solomon, who joined the squad less than a week before the continental tournament.

The former National University star is one of only two holdovers from the previous Alas Pilipinas roster, alongside Thea Gagate, after the rest of the core group begged off amid internal issues within the now-suspended Philippine National Volleyball Federation.

Looking ahead, Solomon vowed to continue giving her best as Alas Pilipinas seeks to build on its progress and produce stronger performances in its remaining matches.

“Binibigay ko lang po talaga ‘yung best ko every game, and sinusupport ko rin — kung ano’ng puwede kong ma-contribute sa team. ‘Yung support po talaga sa team, ‘yun po ‘yung gusto ko maibigay po.”

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CANDON, Ilocos Sur – Alas Pilipinas team captain Alyssa Valdez admitted that the hastily formed squad still has plenty of work to do as it looks to clean up errors and steady its play in its 2026 AVC Women’s Volleyball Cup, presented by the Philippine Sports Commission, campaign.

The Philippines appeared on course for a second consecutive win on Sunday after recovering from an opening-set setback against Australia, but eventually faded in the final two frames and surrendered a five-set defeat.

“Sayang, but we know na madami pa talaga kaming kailangan matutunan as a team,” said the 32-year-old Valdez after the 22-25, 25-23, 25-18, 15-25, 11-15 loss at the Candon City Arena.

The Philippines showed steady execution through the first three sets, but unraveled in the last two, finishing with 30 errors that proved costly in its first defeat in the tournament co-presented by the FIVB, AVC, Volleyball World, and Candon City under Mayor Eric Singson.

The miscues proved decisive in the closing stretch of the fifth set, where Kyle Negrito committed a costly service error that handed Australia match point, before Royse Tubino followed with a net touch that sealed the win for the Australians.

Still, Valdez—who helped spark Alas Pilipinas’ fightback in the fifth set after a slow start—remained confident the team can rebound, stressing that valuable lessons can be taken from the loss.

“Ang dami naming lapses in terms of small balls, lalo na mga free balls na minsan lang namin makukuha sa ganitong tournament, so we hope na mas ma-polish namin ’yun at mas ma-correct sa trainings namin,” said the three-time PVL MVP, who finished with 11 points and 12 digs.

“Hopefully habang tumatagal yung tournament, mas marami kaming ma-apply sa mga upcoming games namin.”

The Philippines will try to bounce back and vent its frustration against Kyrgyzstan on Monday at 3 p.m. at the same venue.

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