Sisi Rondina during a Choco Mucho game in the PVL. Rondina is returning to beach volleyball to lead the national team in the upcoming Southeast Asian Games.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines–Sisi Rondina is returning to the sands as she eyes redemption with the Philippine women’s beach volleyball team in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games.
Rondina’s name was conspicuously missing in the Philippine National Volleyball Federation’s 33-player wishlist for the Alas Pilipinas women’s team released last month.
READ: Sisi Rondina pushes away self doubts to help Alas Pilipinas to bronze
The reason? She’s making a grand comeback to the sands.
After an impressive indoor stint with Alas Pilipinas last year with three bronze medals in the AVC Challenge Cup and SEA VLeague legs, Rondina has decided to come home to the national beach volleyball team, giving way to the younger indoor spikers in the upcoming biennial meet.
“Beach volleyball will always have a special place in my heart because that’s where I started and where people first knew me,” Rondina told reporters in Filipino during the preliminary round of the PVL All-Filipino Conference.
“When I entered UST, it was through beach volleyball, and the people I met and learned from there shaped me. That’s why I’m so excited to be back playing beach volleyball in the SEA Games.”
The multi-titled University of Santo Tomas beach volleyball star, who also won the UAAP indoor volleyball MVP in 2019 after leading her school to the Season 81 finals, expressed her commitment to the PNVF that she wants to run it back with longtime teammate Bernadeth Pons.
FILE – PH beach spikers Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons.
“It’s really something Pons and I both want. We made a promise back in 2023 that we had to get back on the podium. That was my promise, and now we’re just doing everything to fulfill it,” she said.
“The SEA Games only come every two years, and we’re not getting any younger, but as long as we can still play, we’ll keep going. There really aren’t many players available, so we’re pushing ourselves for this.”
Rondina, the winner of two bronze medals with partner Pons in the 2019 and 2022 SEA Games, is determined to help the new-look Alas beach volleyball program with young athletes and Filipino-Americans coming in.
READ: PVL: Pons owes MVP, title campaign to beach volley experience
“Of course I’m happy—not just because we’re coming back, but also because even though it’s not confirmed yet if we’ll actually play, we just really want to return to beach volleyball and compete in the SEA Games,” she said.
“There are so many younger players now, like those from UST. We just hope we’re given the chance to represent the Philippines again and raise the flag high in beach volleyball.”
The former PVL MVP from Choco Mucho partnered with Jovelyn Gonzaga in the 2023 Cambodia Games, while Pons teamed up with Dij Rodriguez. However, the team had an early departure from podium contention after finishing with a 1-2 round-robin record in the pool play.
READ: Sisi Rondina pushes away self doubts to help Alas Pilipinas to bronze
Rondina then focused on indoor after their last SEA Games stint as she led Choco Mucho in the PVL for the past two years.
The Cool Smashers missed the podium after losing to Akari in Game 3 of the battle for third on Saturday.
Rondina said she happy to have been able to showcase her “heart over height” mentality in her brief stint with the Alas indoor team, confident the current squad in good hands with young wing spikers Angel Canino, Bella Belen, Alyssa Solomon, and Eya Laure, under the leadership of setter Jia de Guzman and libero Dawn Macandili-Catindig.
“There are still a lot—many players who can step in and take my place,” Rondina said. “I believe in the leadership of Ate Jia, and all those who stayed behind, they’re really ready. There are still many players who can be called up. I know Coach Jorge (De Brito) is inviting others, so let’s just trust them.”
Even as she makes her return to the beach volleyball team, Rondina said her support will always be with the indoor squad as they aim to end a two-decade medal drought.
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.
“We’ll still see each other there, of course. I won’t be missing from the cheering squad for the indoor team at the SEA Games,” she said.
