Despite being one of the smallest players on the court, Sisi Rondina showed the biggest heart and propelled Alas Pilipinas Women to a triumphant debut win over the towering Australia side in the AVC Challenge Cup for Women.
After narrowly losing the first set, Rondina and Alas Pilipinas demonstrated their strength. They dominated the Volleyroos in the following three sets, securing a 22-25, 25-19, 25-16, 25-21 victory at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum on Thursday.
“Actually, unexpected (yung performance ko). Knowing Australia, may height talaga. Pero ‘yun nga, sobrang thankful kasi pinagkatiwalaan ako sa loob, and ayun nagtrabaho lang din talaga ako,” said Rondina, who just played her first game for the seniors national team.
“Siyempre, sobrang unexpected ng performance ko kanina kasi knowing Australia na may mga height talaga, sabi ko nga paano ko kaya papalusutin yung bola? Pero ayun, nahanapan naman ng paraan at naitawid naman kanina,” she added.
Standing at 5 feet 6 inches, the former PVL MVP concluded with 16 points – including the game-winning cross-court attack in the fourth set, much to the delight of the 4,945 fans in attendance.
Rondina has consistently defied expectations since her days at the University of Santo Tomas. And she has consistently emphasized that height isn’t always the determining factor in volleyball.
Once again, she proved this by delivering for Alas Pilipinas against Australia.
“Unang-una sa lahat, ipakita lang talaga kung ano yung kaya mong gawin. And I think naman kung hindi nadadaan sa palakihan, daanin na lang sa bilis at utak. ‘Yun lang yung ginawa ko kanina. Siyempre tulong lang din ako nang tulong sa mga kasama ko,” said Rondina.
The Nationals actually had a strong start in the first set, where they took a 21-18 lead. However, the Volleyroos countered with a 7-1 run, putting them at a 0-1 disadvantage.
Subsequently, Rondina, Angel Canino, Eya Laure, and Thea Gagate – assisted by the impressive playmaking of Jia De Guzman – rallied the Philippines back and facilitated a dominant comeback.
Rondina attributed De Guzman’s in-game adjustments to the team’s solid performance in the last three sets.
“Marami lang talaga errors talaga lalong lalo na sa serve and I think noong bandang second and fourth nakapag adjust agad. So ayun, ang galing ni Ate Jia, ang galing mag-adjust.”
