By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Negrense Bernadeth Pons and Cherry Rondina of Alas Pilipinas bowed out of the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Nuvali Challenge after suffering a straight-set defeat to Switzerland’s Annique Niederhauser and Menia Bentele at the Nuvali Sands Courts in Laguna on Thursday, May 21.

The Swiss tandem escaped with a 22-20, 24-22 victory to secure a spot in the Round of 24, while Alas Pilipinas ended its campaign winless in Group H with a 0-2 record.

Rondina and Pons showed resilience throughout the match, especially in the second set where they seized control late and moved ahead, 19-16, after a service error by Bentele.

The Swiss pair, however, responded with four unanswered points to regain the lead before holding firm in the extended exchange to complete the sweep.

Niederhauser delivered a crucial point off the block before Bentele sealed the match with the winning attack.

“I’m proud of the result. It’s just nice because Pons only trained with me for one and a half weeks, but we were able to keep up with them,” Rondina said after the loss.

“The level of competition in the challenge is really different. So I’m very grateful to compete against volleyball players from around the world,” Pons added.

Bentele finished with 13 points, while Niederhauser contributed 12 markers for Switzerland, which also eliminated the Filipina pair during last year’s Nuvali Challenge.

Rondina paced the Philippines with 12 points, while Pons added six in the tournament organized by the Philippine National Volleyball Federation and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission.

Earlier on Thursday, Rondina and Pons also dropped a 21-19, 21-17 decision to Denmark’s Sofia Bisgaard and Cirkeline Hog./ASC, WDJ