Sisi Rondina set to bolster Choco Mucho in her PVL debut

Sisi Rondina during her MVP year in the UAAP with UST Tigresses. –INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines —Choco Mucho is set to welcome Sisi Rondina in her much-anticipated indoor volleyball comeback.

The Flying Titans on Friday evening released a teaser of their newest recruit, who is obviously the Philippine women’s beach volleyball team star posing with her back turned.

Choco Mucho didn’t reveal its new player yet, but an Inquirer source confirmed that Rondina is set to make her return to indoor action, starting with the  2023 Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference on June 29, after nearly four years.

Teaser of Choco Mucho’s newest recruit.

The Flying Titans’ sister team Creamline Cool Smashers also welcomed her beach volleyball partner Bernadeth Pons.

Just like Pons, Rondina last played in indoor volleyball in the 2019 Philippine Superliga season for the Petron Blaze Spikers, winning a championship in the 2017 All-Filipino Conference.

The high-flying 5-foot-6 spiker from Cebu is teaming up with her former college rivals Kat Tolentino, Bea De Leon, Maddie Madayag, and Deanna Wong as well as Isa Molde and Des Cheng.

Rondina had a historic year in 2019 as she emerged as the Season 81 MVP after leading the University of Santo Tomas to the Finals alongside Eya Laure. But the Tigresses, who won Game 1, lost the championship series to the Blue Eagles, led by Tolentino, Madayag, and De Leon, and settled for silver.

Sisi Rondina during her stint with Petron in the Philippine Superliga. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

After winning their first Southeast Asian Games bronze medal in Subic four years ago, the UST standout decided to be a full-time beach volleyball player with Pons, winning another bronze last year in Vietnam and representing Creamline beach volleyball in a couple of tournaments.

Rondina teamed up with Jovelyn Gonzaga, who is now with Cignal, in this year’s SEA Games but missed the podium.

Choco Mucho needs the much-needed firepower from Rondina after missing the semifinals for the past three PVL tournaments.

In coach Dante Alinsunurin’s first season with the team, the Flying Titans placed seventh in the All-Filipino Conference after only winning two of their eight matches.

The road to their semis bid will be tougher in the Invitationals as the league will feature three new teams, Gerflor, Foton, and Farm Fresh, who will be joining defending champion Creamline, Petro Gazz, F2 Logistics, PLDT, Chery Tiggo, Cignal, and Akari.

The Invitationals will separate the 11 teams into two groups with the top two squads advancing to the round-robin semifinals, where a pair of foreign clubs will join the competition.