HINDI naging maganda ang simula nina Cherry Rondina at Bernadeth Pons matapos yumuko sa mas matatangkad at beteranong pares mula sa Denmark sa pagbubukas ng Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Nuvali Challenge kahapon sa Nuvali Sands Courts sa Santa Rosa, Laguna.

Nalasap ng tambalan ng Alas Pilipinas ang 19-21, 17-21 pagkatalo kontra Sofia Bisgaard at Cirkeline Hog sa torneo na inorganisa ng Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) sa tulong ng Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).

Matikas ang naging umpisa nina Rondina at Pons sa unang set matapos makuha ang 15-12 abante mula sa apat na sunod na puntos. Ngunit nakabawi ang Danish pair sa dulo upang maagaw ang set bago tuluyang tapusin ang laban sa ikalawang set.

Sa kabila ng kabiguan, nanatiling positibo si Rondina at inamin na kulang pa sila sa preparasyon para sa torneo.

“It was still a good game for us. I only had almost three weeks of training while Pons had around two weeks, but despite that, we were still able to keep up somehow,” ani Rondina na nagtala ng 13 puntos.

“Our opponents also regularly compete in Elite 16 tournaments, so they’re really high-level teams. But we’re not making excuses because we still gave our best. They just played the better game today,” dagdag niya.

Bumagsak sina Rondina at Pons sa losers’ bracket kung saan nakatakda nilang makaharap ang Swiss tandem nina Annique Niederhauser at Menia Bentele sa isang do-or-die na laban.

Target din ng Filipina pair ang makabawi laban sa Swiss duo na tumapos sa kanilang kampanya noong nakaraang taon sa Round of 24 ng parehong torneo.

Ayon naman kay Pons, kailangan pa nilang paghusayin ang kanilang samahan at bawasan ang mga unforced error.

“We’re still looking at the positive side even though we lost. We fought hard, we just fell short this time. I know we still need to polish our partnership again. Like Coach said, our game wasn’t bad overall, but we gave away too many unforced errors,” sabi  ni Pons na may 12 puntos.

“Aside from the preparation, Coach also reminded us that our heart for the game should always be there. That’s going to be our biggest weapon heading into our next game tonight because it’s already a do-or-die match. At this level of beach volleyball, you really can’t afford to give away too many errors because your opponents are already very experienced and constantly competing around the world.”