PVL: Sisi Rondina all praises for Brooke Van Sickle after their first duel

Choco Mucho’s Sisi Rondina against the Petro Gazz defense led by Brooke Van Sickle in the PVL All-Filipino Conference.

MANILA, Philippines — Choco Mucho star Sisi Rondina had nothing but good things to say about Petro Gazz newcomer Brooke Van Sickle after their first of many PVL duels last Tuesday.

Rondina got the better of Van Sickle as she dropped 24 points and 22 excellent receptions to lift the Flying Titans past the gritty Angels, 24-26, 25-22, 25-18, 24-26, 15-13, for their second straight win on Tuesday at Philsports Arena.

The reigning PVL MVP may have won the battle and war but she marveled at the skills of Filipino-American sensation, who had 18 points, 22 digs, and 15 receptions to backstop Jonah Sabete’s 29-point explosion.

SCHEDULE: PVL All-Filipino Conference 2024

“She’s very good. She has the experience and I told Kat while we were shaking the other team’s hand that Brooke is pretty,” Rondina said. “When the game started, I really thought to myself she’s really strong. She’s can hit us from anywhere.”

In their showdown, Rondina–who excelled in both indoor and beach volleyball like Van Sickle in the US NCAA Division 1–wanted to prove that heart can counter the height advantage of the newest Angels’ star.

Sisi Rondina and the CHoco Mucho Flying Titans in the PVL All-Filipino COnference. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

“I really challenged myself because Brook has height. So what I did.  I showed how I play, that even though I’m small I have what it takes,” she said. “We’re really trying to to work with coach Dante’s system and that team mindset helped me.”

After surviving an “unpredictable” duel  the Angels, the former University of Santo Tomas star said that the Flying Titans have to learn from their lapses after blowing set point advantages in the first and fourth frames.

READ: PVL: Choco Mucho slips past Petro Gazz in tough five-setter

“We need to charge this to experience. Maybe it’s some sort of wake-up call. We accept that and we will work hard to correct those mistakes in our next games,” Rondina said.

For her part, Rondina continues to work on her floor defense. She proved to be the missing piece for Choco Mucho after leading the franchise to its first-ever PVL finals last December,

“Every day I overload my reception and it’s showing results, so I’m happy,” she said. “I’m not surprised that I’m being targeted and I know that [reception] is my weakness, so I’m working on it, get the muscle memory.”

dina is set for another marquee match against her former teammates Eya and EJ Laure when unbeaten squads Choco Mucho and Chery Tiggo collide on Saturday for a 3-0 record at Philsports Arena.