Cherry Ann Quipanes Rondina (born September 4, 1996),[1] popularly known as Sisi Rondina, is a Filipino indoor and beach volleyball player. She is currently playing for the Choco Mucho Flying Titans at the Premier Volleyball League.[2]
She was a former member and captain of the UST Golden Tigresses volleyball team.[3] She is a 4-time UAAP Beach Volleyball MVP and the UAAP Season 81 Women's Volleyball MVP and Athlete of the Year.[4][5] She is a current member of the Philippines Women Beach Volleyball team.[6]
Personal life
Rondina was born in Compostela, Cebu,[7] to a family of three sisters to Alona, a dressmaker,[8] and Arnold Rondina, a fisherman and driver. She graduated from the University of Santo Tomas with a degree in Physical Education in 2019.[9]
Career
Rondina first found her love for sports in track and field, in which she would usually grace the sands of the beach near her home.[8] It was only in her 3rd grade in elementary when she first held a volleyball on her hands with her mother. The next day, a tryout was held in her town and she decided to join. [8]
Rondina continued to develop her skills and prowess in volleyball until she became a varsity player of her highschool's team.[8] She represented Central Visayas at the different editions of Palarong Pambansa, where she was first discovered by the UST recruitment staff.[8] Eventually, she won the 2013 Palarong Pambansa Best Attacker individual award.[10]
Collegiate
Rondina started representing the University of Santo Tomas in UAAP Season 77, playing in beach volleyball to which she won the championship and bagged the MVP award. She debuted in indoor volleyball in UAAP Season 77.
In Season 78, Rondina-Rivera tandem failed to defend their crown in UAAP Beach Volleyball Tournament. The indoor team was unable to make it into Final 4.
After a disappointing season, Rondina reclaims the UAAP Season 79 Beach Volleyball title together with her new partner, Jem Nicole Gutierrez. She bagged her 2nd Most Valuable Award in the UAAP Beach Volleyball Tournament.[11] She and UST Tigresses made their Final 4 comeback in UAAP Season 79 with 9–5 win–loss record[12] UST failed to advance to Finals bowing down to defending champion De La Salle Lady Spikers in the semifinals.
Rondina and her new partner Caitlin Viray swept the UAAP Season 80 Beach Volleyball tournament, successfully defended their crown. She also got her 3rd Most Valuable Player award for the season.[13] UST Tigresses fails to advance in the Final 4 of UAAP Season 80 women's volleyball tournament. Rondina bagged the Best Scorer award.
In UAAP Season 81, Rondina and rookie Baby Love Barbon brought UST's 6th Beach Volleyball Championship title, making it as the winningest team in the UAAP Beach Volleyball Tournament. Rondina got her 4th Most Valuable Award.[14]
UST"s Skipper Rondina led her team into 10–4 win–loss record in the elimination round of UAAP Season 81 women's volleyball tournament, the team's best record since UAAP Season 73.[15]UST Tigresses won over De La Salle Lady Spikers in playoffs[16] and semi-finals and sent UST to its first Finals appearance after 7-year drought.[17] Rondina emerged as the Most Valuable Player of Season 81, also bagged the 2nd Best Open Hitter and Best Scorer awards.[18]
During the closing and awarding UAAP ceremonies conducted at the Mall of Asia Arena, the board awarded Rondina as Athlete of the Year for the collegiate team sports category. She was the only female athlete to be given the award for season 81.[19]
Professional
Rondina and Bernadeth Pons of Petron Sprint 4T won the championship of the 2017 Philippine SuperLiga Beach Challenge Cup[20] and Rondina was awarded the Most Valuable Player.[21] With the Petron Blaze Spikers, she won the 2017 PSL All-Filipino Conference gold medal[22] and the 2017 PSL Grand Prix Conference silver medal.[23]
The Rondina-Pons tandem successfully defended their title for Petron in the 2018 Philippine Super Liga Beach Challenge Cup.[24]
In 2019, the tandem of Rondina-Pons was one the representatives of the Philippines in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games Beach Volleyball Tournament[26] where they won bronze together with Dzi Gervacio and Dji Rodriguez[27] and 2019 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Boracay Open.[28]
