CEBU CITY — The excitement of playing in front of her fellow Cebuanos comes with a familiar flutter of nerves for Sisi Rondina, who is set to bring her game home as Choco Mucho opens its 2026 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference campaign against Capital1 on Saturday.
Hailing from Compostela, roughly an hour away from the venue, Rondina is looking forward to playing closer to home, where she hopes to draw support from her fellow Cebuanos as she returns to the province where her volleyball journey began.
“Masaya na kinakabahan,” admitted Rondina moments after Choco Mucho wrapped up its training session on Friday morning.
The PVL is making its third stop in Cebu during its professional era, having previously staged matches at the Minglanilla Sports Complex and the University of San Jose-Recoletos in separate seasons.
This time, the action moves to the SM Seaside Cebu Arena, where Choco Mucho will make its first appearance in the Queen City of the South. Rondina will be joined by fellow Cebuanas Deanna Wong, Isa Molde, and Lorene Toring.
“Kasi pinakauna ko yatang paglalaro dito sa Cebu as a pro. Excited ako na makita ang Cebuano and Cebuana support, and sana maraming manood and maraming ma-entertain sa laro namin,” said the former league MVP.
Beyond the opportunity to play before her fellow Cebuanos, Rondina has another reason to look forward to Saturday’s game: her family will make the trip from Compostela to watch her play, allowing the Flying Titans star to share the occasion with her loved ones.
“Pamilya ko manonood. One hour away lang kami. Excited ako, sana makalaro. Pamilya ko, bibiyahe pa sila later. I think later kasi mag-Airbnb sila,” she shared.
Still, Rondina knows that a homecoming comes with its own challenges.
After spending several months with Alas Pilipinas’ beach volleyball team, the Choco Mucho spiker is now readjusting to the demands of the PVL following the national team’s quarterfinal finish at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, which concluded more than a week ago.
Although she is still working her way back into rhythm after months away from the indoor game, Rondina is eager to make the most of the rare opportunity and deliver a strong performance in front of her fellow Cebuanos.
“Ako personally, nag-a-adjust pa rin kahit papaano. Ang inaayos ko lang is paano maibalik yung gigil, pero ayun, familiarization. Siyempre, tinatiyaga ko talaga siya araw-araw. Sana yung experience namin na na-gain namin sa Japan, sana maipakita namin dito sa PVL, lalong-lalo na sa team namin.”
