Alas Pilipinas beach volleyball stars Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons are set to receive the Fans’ Choice Beach Volleyball Award at the inaugural Asian Volleyball Confederation Gala after topping the public vote.

Rondina and Pons amassed 43,905 public votes to secure the honor, which will be presented by the City of Candon through Mayor Eric Singson during the AVC Gala on August 8 in Bangkok.

The inaugural event will celebrate the outstanding performances that defined Asian volleyball throughout the 2025 season.

“The AVC Gala was created to celebrate Asian volleyball excellence and to honor the individuals whose talent, dedication, and achievements continue to inspire millions throughout our continent,” said AVC President Ramon “Tats” Suzara.

“The nearly 400,000 votes cast by fans demonstrate the incredible passion that exists for volleyball across Asia, and we are proud to establish a new tradition that recognizes the very best of our sport.”

Suzara welcomed the successful launch of the inaugural AVC Gala, emphasizing the significance of recognizing excellence through a combination of expert evaluation and fan support.

Photo from Volleyball World

“We are excited to welcome our winners to the 1st AVC Gala Awards Night this August in Bangkok, where Asia’s volleyball family will come together to celebrate their remarkable achievements and the continued growth of our sport,” Suzara said.

“Volleyball has always been a sport driven by its community, and our fans remain at the heart of its continued success. By combining the expertise of the AVC Committee with the voices of our supporters, the AVC Gala not only recognizes excellence but also celebrates the strong bond between our athletes and the fans who inspire them every step of the way.”

Among the night’s top honorees are Japanese siblings Yuki Ishikawa and Mayu Ishikawa. Yuki will receive the Outstanding Men’s Volleyball Player award, while Mayu will be recognized as the Outstanding Women’s Volleyball Player.

In beach volleyball, Qatar’s accomplished tandem of Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan will be honored as the Outstanding Men’s Beach Volleyball Players, presented by Neocolors, following another stellar season on the international stage.

Japan’s Asami Shiba and Reika Murakami will receive the Outstanding Women’s Beach Volleyball Players award, presented by Rebisco, in recognition of their outstanding performances throughout the 2025 season.

Ferhat Akbaş is set to receive the Volleyball Coach of the Year award after guiding Japan’s women’s national team to another successful campaign. Meanwhile, Yuliya Akulova of Kazakhstan and Wang Lijun of China will be recognized as Volleyball Referee of the Year and Beach Volleyball Referee of the Year, respectively.

The Outstanding Player, Coach of the Year, and Referee of the Year awardees were selected through a voting system composed of 70-percent AVC Committee votes and 30-percent public votes, combining expert evaluation with fan participation.

Chinese superstar Zhu Ting topped the public voting with 42,996 votes to claim the Fans’ Choice Volleyball Award.

The inaugural AVC Gala will also honor Jizhong Wei with the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his decades of leadership and lasting contributions to the growth of volleyball in Asia and beyond.

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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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