Choco Mucho’s Sisi Rondina in action. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — F2 Logistics coach Regine Diego and Choco Mucho coach Dante Alinsunurin praised Sisi Rondina after playing her heart out amid their five-set loss in the 2023 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Invitational Conference.
Rondina erupted for her PVL career-high 28 points but it went for naught as Choco Mucho fell to a resilient F2 Logistics side, 25-21, 17-25, 25-17, 21-25, 16-18, on Tuesday evening at the sweltering and packed Philsports Arena.
Despite pulling off an amazing comeback, Diego admitted that Rondina’s intensity and resiliency were hard to match.
“That girl is really something else. I wish all my players are like that pero love ko kayo for who you are. Grabe Sisi, sobrang galing mo naman. Sana all,” said Diego after facing the returning indoor player. “ But kudos also to all na naging coach ni Sisi, you made a monster. She’s very scary.”
Rondina, who was also tremendous on the defensive end with 16 digs and 15 excellent receptions, vows to learn from this setback after the Flying Titans fell to a triple tie at 2-1 with the Petro Gazz Angels and Cignal HD Spikers.
Choco Mucho’s Sisi Rondina in action. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
“Sabi ko nga po sa mga teammates ko, hindi kami natalo, natuto kami,” said Rondina after the game. “Ako honestly, sobrang saya ko na ganun yung gel namin na kasama namin yung iba’t ibang UAAP players dati so good thing kasi may nakita kami and may nakukuha kami sa laro ngayon and kaya namin.”
(I told my teammates we didn’t lose, we learned. Honestly, I’m still happy because we’ve been gelling well despite coming from different UAAP schools before. Good thing, we still picked up something from this game.)
The 26-year-old spiker remained proud of her team despite a meltdown from a 14-11 lead in the fifth set as the Cargo Movers leaned on the crucial video challenge in the end game to complete their comeback.
“We fell short. But I’m proud because we displayed composure and confidence and stayed focused in the game,” she added.
Her new coach Alinsunurin believes the best is yet to come for Rondina having only played three games since being a full-time Philippine women’s beach volleyball team player for nearly four years.
“She deserved those points because she worked hard for it. That’s what we’ve been seeing from her in practice. She plays all out,” the Choco Mucho coach said in Filipino. “She can do more. She is always active and every time Deanna [Wong] gives her a chance, she makes sure to score it.”
Alinsunurin remained pleased with his team’s performance amid the loss and he looks to work on their lapses ahead of their next match against Petro Gazz on Saturday.
“Compared to the first conference, we’ve changed a lot. We are getting there. We’re slowly working on our problems. My players remained composed and kept on fighting even our opponents were leading,” he said.