It’s like her rookie year all over again for Sisi Rondina as she joins Choco Mucho for the coming Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference in her indoor volleyball comeback after a four-year absence.
Rondina will make her professional debut in the mid-season tournament scheduled to open shop on 29 June with the Flying Titans following a successful beach volleyball career.
The University of Santo Tomas product admitted that she had to double her effort to adjust from playing in the sands back to the taraflex floor.
“Honestly, I’m a bit anxious about transitioning back to indoor volleyball from beach volleyball,” the 5-foot-6 winger said.
Rondina is also working on quickly adapting to the system of head coach Dante Alinsunurin.
“Everything feels new to me,” she added.
The University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 81 Most Valuable Player back in 2019 is the latest beach volleyball standout to sign a club deal after national squad teammates Jovelyn Gonzaga and Bernadeth Pons.
Gonzaga reunites with Cignal while Pons hooked up with Choco Mucho’s sister team defending conference champion Creamline.
Rondina, a four-time UAAP beach volleyball champion and MVP, teamed up with Pons to win back-to-back bronze medals in the 2019 Manila and 2021 Hanoi Southeast Asian Games.
The high-flying power-hitter captured gold in last year’s Volleyball World Beah Pro Tour in Subic with Gonzaga as her partner.
Rondina last saw action in indoor volleyball back in 2019 with Petron in the defunct Philippine Superliga. She helped the Blaze Spikers rule the 2017 PSL All-Filipino Conference.
The multi-awarded open spiker will have as teammates former UAAP rivals Deanna Wong, Kat Tolentino, Bea de Leon and Maddie Madayag, who led Ateneo de Manila University in a dramatic come-from-behind final series win over Rondina and UST four years ago.
Rondina, who is also known for her superb floor defense to go along with her scoring prowess, adds to the Flying Titans’ wing rotation which also includes veterans Des Cheng and Isa Molde.
“Overall, I’m happy (in my indoor comeback). I’ll do everything I can to help my team,” she said.
Choco Mucho has missed the Final Four in the past three conferences.
In the season-opening All-Filipino Conference, the Flying Titans under new mentor Alinsunurin only won two games in eight outings to finish seventh in a field of nine clubs.
