Upbeat Sisi Rondina proud of Choco Mucho stand despite 5-set shock loss to F2

MANILA, Philippines – The Choco Mucho Flying Titans received an early gut punch in the 2023 PVL Invitational Conference after the F2 Cargo Movers snapped their two-game winning streak with a cardiac five-set escape last Tuesday, July 11.

Thanks to two crucial endgame challenges and clutch finishing plays, F2 saw its 11-14 match point deficit turn to an 18-16 finish and rose to 3-0 in Pool B.

Left reeling in the dust, Choco Mucho suffered a double whammy in the loss as it also lost starting open spiker Des Cheng to dehydration from the sweltering conditions created by a faulty PhilSports Arena air conditioning system.

Despite all these setbacks, new Flying Titan star Sisi Rondina was all smiles at the match’s conclusion, as she was ecstatic with the growth she experienced with the team in their first three games together.

“I told my teammates earlier in the dugout, we didn’t lose. We learned,” said the former UST star in Filipino.

“Honestly, I was really happy to see how we jelled, us former UAAP players. It’s a good thing we saw and learned some stuff from this game. We know we could win, we just fell a tad short.”

Rondina, plying her craft back indoors after four years of beach volleyball, continued her torrid streak of big outings with game-highs of 28 points, 16 excellent digs, and 15 excellent receptions against F2.

Although she powered home three straight kills that broke a 10-all tie in the deciding set, Rondina, however, was also on the receiving end of two aces from Shola Alvarez and Jolina dela Cruz that ultimately helped sway the game in favor of the Cargo Movers.

Still, even head coach Dante Alinsunurin did not mind whatever lapses his players may have had, simply echoing Rondina’s lines of finding silver linings.

“I told my players to just continue what we do and how we want to do them in games. What’s important is we learned even if we did not win,” said the former men’s national team mentor in Filipino.

“If you use the first conference as a comparison, we’re so far ahead now in this second conference. We’re there. We just have to fix minor problems, but I already saw this team composed, fighting, and not giving up.”

For Rondina, she likewise just wants the Flying Titans to stay the course and pick up where they left off against F2, as Choco Mucho is primed to make another run at a breakthrough podium finish that has eluded the franchise since its 2019 inception.

“I’m just proud of our composure, our confidence,” she continued. “Our focus is just there. The game wasn’t for us this time, but it’s okay, we’re happy with the outcome.” – Rappler.com