The comeback was electric, but the finish bittersweet.

Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons thrilled a packed crowd at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Futures Nuvali but bowed out in the quarterfinals after a heartbreaker to Romania’s Beata Vaida and Francesca Ioana Alupei, 21-18, 19-21, 12-15, on Saturday at the Nuvali Sand Courts.

Despite the loss, the duo—reunited on the sand for the first time in nearly two years after a stint with the national indoor team—earned admiration for their grit, chemistry, and commitment despite having less than a week of training.

“I’m proud of our performance here,” said Pons, who kept the offense flowing with deft rolls and tip shots. “We worked really hard. Unfortunately, we fell short. I still need to work on my blocking—just one kill block could’ve changed the game.”

Rondina, ever the crowd favorite, delivered her trademark high-flying attacks but admitted she lacked the finishing accuracy. “I’m really thankful for this chance. The support from the fans was amazing. It hurts that we couldn’t go further, but this is motivation,” said the 28-year-old.

The SEA Games in December now loom large for the pair, who plan to sharpen their game in a series of overseas tournaments.

Earlier, Khylem Progella and Sofia Pagara also exited in the quarterfinals after a three-match gauntlet, bowing to New Zealand’s Shaunna Polley and Olivia MacDonald, 17-21, 14-21. The duo had earlier upset Vanuatu’s Sherysyn Toko and Majabelle Lawac and outlasted Dutch pair Danieke Prins and Annemieke Driessen in a gritty comeback.

James Buytrago and Rancel Varga, silver medalists at last year’s Nuvali Futures, couldn’t repeat the feat as they were eliminated by Israel’s Eylon Elazar and Kevin Cuzmiciov, 21-17, 21-15.

Despite the exits, Philippine National Volleyball Federation president Ramon “Tats” Suzara remained upbeat.

“Sisi and Bernadeth still have their chemistry. Making the quarterfinals in this kind of field is no small feat,” said Suzara, who is also president of the Asian Volleyball Confederation and an FIVB executive.

The Philippines now aims to collect more international points to chase wild card entries into the Beach Volleyball World Championships in Adelaide this November.

Meanwhile, Japan’s Sakura Ito and Mayu Sawame reached the women’s finals after beating Lithuania’s Ieva Dumbauskaite and Gerda Grudzinskaite, while New Zealand’s Polley and MacDonald secured their spot by routing the Romanian pair.

On the men’s side, Israel’s Elazar and Cuzmiciov advanced to the championship after dispatching Greece, while Slovakia’s Lubos Nemec and Adrian Petruf secured the other final berth by beating Latvia.