Sisi Rondina firmly believes that Choco Mucho’s time to capture a breakthrough title in the Premier Volleyball League will eventually come.
As Creamline dashed Choco Mucho’s title dreams anew, Sisi Rondina turned to the rest of the Flying Titans, gently tapping her chin with the back of her hand.
It was an act of encouragement, urging her teammates to hold their heads high despite the heartbreaking loss in Game 2 of the 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference Finals.
The Flying Titans settled for a bridesmaid finish for the second straight time, but Rondina knew they had no reason to feel ashamed after putting up such a valiant effort.
“Lahat naman ng nangyayari may rason and kita niyo naman mismo kung paano namin nilaro ‘yung laro, hindi naman [namin] binigay ng madali sa Creamline,” said Rondina, who poured 31 points and 10 digs in the losing cause.
“Sabi ko naman sa kanila matalo na tayo basta wag lang natin ibibigay ng madali ‘yung laro. Happy ako sa silver at magandang reward para sa amin.”
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Losing on the biggest stage for the second consecutive time can be disheartening for any team, but Rondina is encouraging her teammates to keep dreaming and pushing forward.
The 5-foot-6 dynamo firmly believes that Choco Mucho will eventually overcome this hurdle and capture its elusive breakthrough title.
“Lagi kong sinasabi sa kanila na every time na naglalaro, magtiwala, so gawin lang naming ‘yun. Wala kaming pagsisisihan kasi siyempre binigay naman namin best namin and ayun sinabi ko lang din sa dugout na 'wag na 'wag tayong titigl mangarap kasi darating at darating ‘yun,” Rondina said.
The Flying Titans missed the presence of three key players for the majority of the conference, with Des Cheng and Aduke Ogunsanya recovering from ACL injuries and Kat Tolentino sidelined due to an auditory condition.
[ALSO READ: "Little Giant" Sisi Rondina now owns most 30-point games by a PVL local]
Despite these setbacks, Choco Mucho finished the elimination round with a 9-2 record, achieved a historic win over Creamline, and swept the round-robin semis before returning to the Finals.
Reflecting on such a resilient campaign, Rondina felt immense gratitude.
“We're very thankful kasi walang nasaktan and we are dedicating this para keyla Aduke, sila Kat, sila Des and syempre sa management. Sabi ko nga whatever happens sa larong to, at least binigay natin ang best natin,” the UST product said.
“Lagi kong sinasabi sa kanila na tandaan niyo kung saan tayo nanggaling. So masaya kasi may mga result na maganda although hindi kami nakakuha ng championship.”