MANILA, Philippines — Following the footsteps of her longtime beach volleyball team partner, Bernadeth Pons has committed to joining Sisi Rondina in representing Alas Pilipinas at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.

After Creamline’s heartbreaking loss to Petro Gazz in the PVL All-Filipino Conference Finals Game 3 on Saturday, Pons is shifting her focus back to beach volleyball.

READ: PVL: Bernadeth Pons owes MVP, title campaign to beach volley experience

Pons, winner of two bronze medals with partner Rondina in the 2019 and 2022 SEA Games, is determined to bounce back after missing the podium in the 2023 Cambodia Games.

“Honestly, we were pretty disappointed with our performance in the last SEA Games. We went from winning bronze to not placing at all, so ever since then, we’ve really been wanting to bounce back,” said Pons in an interview during the preliminary round of the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference.

“That’s a big reason why we wanted to play again—we’re hungry to make up for it in the upcoming SEA Games.”

FILE–Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons. BVR PHOTO

Pons partnered with Dij Rodriguez two years ago, while Rondina was paired with Jovelyn Gonzaga. Their team suffered an early exit from podium contention after finishing with a 1-2 round-robin record in the pool play.

The Creamline Cool Smasher is excited to be part of the new-look Alas Pilipinas beach volleyball program with young athletes and Filipino-Americans coming in.

“Of course, I’m super happy and excited. It’s been a while. During the last SEA Games, we weren’t even partners, and we had shifted back to indoor volleyball. So I’m really looking forward to teaming up with her again,” she said.

Since stepping away from beach volleyball, Pons became a key piece in Creamline’s indoor dominance—capped by a Reinforced Conference MVP and title, as well as a pivotal role in the franchise’s historic grand slam.

Though Creamline’s five-peat bid was halted by Petro Gazz, Pons still earned a spot among the league’s elite as Best Outside Spiker.

After a fruitful indoor career in the PVL, Pons hopes to bring honor to the country in the Southeast Asian Games.

“Our coaching staff isn’t rushing. We already talked about how we need to go through a transition period first. It’s been a while since we played beach, and coming from indoor, it’s definitely not easy. So we’ll take it step by step before getting into the more intense training,” said Pons. “

We might actually start beach training right after this conference, since our coach wants us to join a few tournaments before the SEA Games—it’s all part of getting us ready.”