MANILA – The Philippine women’s and men’s beach volleyball team salvaged bronze medal finishes in the 30th Southeast Asian Games beach volleyball over at Subic, Zambales.
Negrense Bernadeth Pons and Cherry Rondina as well as the pairs of Angelique Gervacio and Dij Rodriguez nailed the women’s beach volleyball bronze by defeating the Singapore team.
Rondina and Pons, still hurt with their defeat to Thailand last week that denied them a chance in the finals, vented their ire on Serene Ng and Ee Shan Lau for a 21-17, 21-13 straight set domination.
Gervacio and Rodriguez then followed suit as they turned back Singapore’s Eliza Hui Hui Chong and Gladys Lee and walked away with a 21-18, 21-16 result.
This is the first time since 2005 that the Philippines captured a SEA Games women’s beach volleyball medal. The last Filipinas who pulled off such a feat were Heidi Ilustre and Diane Pascua for the bronze medal.
The men’s team of Jaron Requinton, Jude Garcia, James Buytrago, and Edmar Bonono, meanwhile, created history. They became the first Philippine team to win a SEA Games medal in men’s beach volleyball team.
Requinton and Garcia delivered the goods in the “golden match,” besting Kingsley Tai and Trevis Tan in straight sets, 25-23, 21-13, to complete a 2-1 victory against Singapore./PN
