Alas Pilipinas beach volleyball standouts Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons continue to make their mark on the international stage.
The country’s top beach volleyball tandem is set to receive the Fans’ Choice Beach Volleyball Award at the inaugural Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Gala after leading the public voting among nominees.
The duo, popularly known as “SiPons,” collected 43,905 votes to secure the recognition, which will be awarded during the first AVC Gala on August 8 in Bangkok, Thailand.
The award will be presented by the City of Candon through Mayor Eric Singson as the AVC celebrates the best players, coaches, referees, and personalities who highlighted the 2025 volleyball season in Asia.
Rondina, Pons Prove Star Quality at Beach Volleyball
The recognition adds another achievement for Rondina and Pons, who have carried the Philippine flag in several international tournaments and established themselves as one of the region’s most exciting beach volleyball pairs.
AVC president Tats Suzara said the gala aims to celebrate excellence in Asian volleyball while also recognizing the strong connection between athletes and their supporters.
“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,” Suzara said.
“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,” he added.
In the Company of International Stars
The inaugural AVC Gala will also recognize several of Asia’s biggest names, including Japanese siblings Yuki Ishikawa and Mayu Ishikawa, who will receive the Outstanding Men’s and Women’s Volleyball Player awards, respectively.
Qatar’s Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan will be honored as the Outstanding Men’s Beach Volleyball Players, while Japan’s Asami Shiba and Reika Murakami will receive the women’s counterpart.
Ferhat Akbaş will be recognized as Volleyball Coach of the Year, while Kazakhstan’s Yuliya Akulova and China’s Wang Lijun will be awarded Volleyball Referee of the Year and Beach Volleyball Referee of the Year, respectively.
Meanwhile, Chinese volleyball icon Zhu Ting topped the volleyball public voting category with 42,996 votes to claim the Fans’ Choice Volleyball Award.
The AVC will also present the Lifetime Achievement Award to Jizhong Wei for his contributions to the development and growth of volleyball across Asia.
