The word diminutive does not begin to describe UST’s Cherry Rondina. The 5-foot-6 Cebuana may be small for a volleyball player, but she generates boundless energy which she uses to zoom around and over the volleyball court.
During the University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses’ opening match against defending champions De La Salle University Lady Spikers, Rondina-mania debuted with a smash, as the open hitter delivered 28 points and nearly dragged the Golden Tigresses to an upset win.
The Golden Tigresses came up short in a heated fifth set, but Rondina was enough to draw optimism from the UST fateful reeling from the season-long absence of Ej Laure. Rondina also sent a message to everyone in the league.
“Sabi ko sa kanya noong magshe-shake hands na after ng game, ‘Halimaw ka!’ Grabe ‘yung aggressiveness niya pumalo,” said La Salle’s Kianna Dy.
“Every year naman kasi lumalakas ‘yung bata kasi nasa character naman ng isang player ‘yun kung anong gusto nyang mangyari sa sarili nya. So hindi naman bago sa team namin yung may ganyan,” lauded La Salle head coach Ramil De Jesus.
“Before merong Alyssa Valdez. Ngayon siya naman. So pinaghahandaan naman namin.”
UST head coach Kungfu Reyes declared that Rondina is their ace, and that he believes the UST senior can be this year’s UAAP breakout star.
“Ganiyan naman ‘yan si Sisi kahit sa practice. Hindi naman nagbabago. Alam niya at alam namin na kaya niyang maging star,” said Reyes.
“Ang kailangan namin ngayon is ‘yung iba pang scorer na tutulong sa kanya kasi hindi pwedeng isa o dalawa lang ang gagawa sa amin. Masyado kaming mahihirapan.”
For her part, Rondina would rather have a win than a viral scoring explosion. But the three-time UAAP beach volleyball gold medalist does not hold any resentment over of her wasted effort.
Everything she does, after all, is for UST.
“Kung puwede lang mamigay ng energy eh, ‘di ba?,” Rondina quipped. “Pero pinapakita ko naman talaga kung ano ‘yun, paano ako maglaro. Kinakailangan na kung ano ‘yung effective na ginagalaw ko, dapat masunod. Hindi naman sa dapat masunod, kung pwede nilang sundin, pwede naman nila sumunod. Pero mas maganda pa rin kung laro-laro talaga nila.
“For UST naman ‘yun. Kinakailangan talaga namin ng attitude na pag nasa pitpitan talaga, dapat may attitude kami na aangkinin namin talaga ‘yun.”
