THE country’s low-key national beach volleyball teams are just a month away from competing in the AVC Continental Cup, an Olympic qualifier which the Philippines is also using as part of its 31st Southeast Asian Games preparations.

The men’s and women’s squads entered the beach volleyball training bubble in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte last Tuesday, marking the players’ first time to finally play on the sands again since COVID-19 got in the way.

“Ang pinunta lang talaga namin dito is court. Wala ng ibang iniisip. Sa tagal tagal ba naman naming nag-crave talaga gusto talaga namin mag training talaga,” said the Philippines’ top women’s player Sisi Rondina on The Game Friday night.

“Ang hirap kapag walang court, kundisyon nga yung katawan mo pero yung galaw mo, parang nakakawala ng gana kaya thankful talaga kami na pinayagan kami dito,” the four-time UAAP beach volleyball champion from University of Santo Tomas added.

Jude Garcia, the ace men’s beach volleyball spiker, is focused on surpassing what they’ve achieved in the 2019 SEA Games.

“Kaya pinagpupursigihan po talaga namin na malagpasan pa yung nakamit namin last SEA Games,” said the Far Eastern University product.

Both Rondina and Garcia are part of the beach volleyball squads that won bronze medals in the 2019 SEA Games, which also served as a zonal qualifier for the Continental Cup.

Nakhon Pathom, Thailand has replaced China as AVC Continental Cup hosts for the semi-finals on June 18 and 19 and Finals on June 25 to 27.

The winners in both women’s and men’s events will qualify for the Tokyo Olympics in July.

The Philippines is no stranger to Continental Cup, having participated in the 2014-16 Olympic qualifying window.

In the first phase, the women’s tandems of a young Rondina and Elaine Kasilag, Gretchen Ho and Michelle Datuin placed second behind Malaysia in the Southeastern Asia developmental division with a 2-1 record, giving the Filipinas a spot to the zonal championships.

Parading different pairs in Amanda Villanueva and Grethcel Soltones, and Bea Tan and Mich Morente, the Philippines missed a spot in the continental semifinals as it ended up in fifth place in the SEA Zone won by Thailand.

In the men’s side, the Philippines’ pairs of Jade Becaldo and Louijie Tipgos, and Edmar Bonono and Edward Ybañez, winning three of four matches, finished second behind to Cambodia in the SEA developmental division.

With different tandems of Becaldo and Ybañez, and Bonono and Jonrey Sasing, the Philippines was eliminated in the race for a slot in the continental semifinals, as it ranked fourth in the zonal championships.