Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons repeated over Slovenia’s Ziva Javornik and Tajda Lovsin, 21-19, 21-9, in a Round of 32 match on Friday morning to notch the country’s first-ever Challenge victory in the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour series at the Nuvali Sands Court by Ayala Land in Santa Rosa, Laguna.

“We’re very grateful to win our first match in the Challenge level and we hope to sustain our run to advance further in the tournament,” said Rondina, who — with then partner Jovelyn Gonzaga — beat compatriots Genesa Jane “Jen” Eslapor and Floremel Rodriguez, 22-24, 21-12, 15-12, in the final of the 2022 Beach Pro Tour Futures in Subic for a 1-2 Philippine finish.

The FIVB’s Beach Pro Tour has five levels — Futures, Challenge, Elite 16, Finals and, finally, the World Championships.

“This is big for us,” added Rondina who defeated the No. 78 Slovenian pair, 16-21, 21-15, 15-9, in the Futures in Budapest only last month.

Standing in the way of Rondina and Pons is a Round-of-24 match against Switzerland’s Annique Niederhauser and Bentele, who are coming off an 18-21, 21-14, 16-18 loss to Australia’s Taliqua Clancy and Jana Milutinovic also on Friday.

A victory by Rondina and Pons over the Swiss which was scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday would mean a breakthrough Round-of-16 slot for Alas Pilipinas.

“We just have to believe that we can compete and winning here for the first time in our career has boosted our confidence,” Pons said.

“It’s a great privilege that our athletes are able to play in this level of volleyball and win the match,” Alas Pilipinas’ Brazilian coach Joao “Kioday” Luciano Simao Barbosa said.

“It proved that we’re in the right path and hope one day we will be exposed more to this kinds of events.”

Kly Orillaneda and Gen Eslapor, however, lost to United States’ Teegan Van Gunst and Piper Ferch, 19-21, 11-21, and Sonny Villapando and Dij Rodriguez squandered a 13-8 lead in the second set to yield to Japan’s Sakura Ito and Mayu Sawame, 18-21, 25-27, to exit the tournament that will end on Sunday.