IT wasn’t the ending she hoped for but graduating University of Santo Tomas star Sisi Rondina still held her head high.
An emotional Rondina was being comforted by her teammates after UST fell short of a title, bowing to Ateneo in straight sets in Game Three of the UAAP Season 81 women’s volleyball tournament on Saturday at the MOA Arena.
But inside the dugout, the MVP seemed to have accepted their fate as she welcomed the reporters cheerfully.
“Pagkapuntos pa lang ng kalaban alam ko na matatapos na ako as Golden Tigresses and ‘yun ‘yung sobrang nasaktan ako,” she said. “Gusto ko na maging Golden Tigresses as champion.”
“It was a good run for us kasi who knows maniniwala na mga bata ang kasama ko and partida mga bata pero pag naglaro kakaiba,” she added.
After the match, a tearful Rondina thanked her teammates and told them to bounce back next season.
The team captain reminded them to go all out for UST and love the university the way she loved it.
“Sabi ko nga sa kanila na, [when] that time [comes] na kayo naman ang maglalaro, ‘wag na ‘wag niyong ipapahiya ang UST kasi mahal ko ‘yan and that time na maglalaro kayo make sure na you fight for them,” she said.
“Kasi ako, gusto kong sabihin sa mga bata na kailangan niyong mahalin ang UST the way I love UST. Being that part of the [UST] community is very different,” she added.
Although her dream of being a champion in the UAAP wasn’t meant to be, Rondina wants to be remembered as the one with a biggest heart for UST.
“Gusto ko [maalala nila ako] isa sa mga nagpabalik sa finals kahit hindi korona. Kapag sinabing Sisi Rondina, gusto ko lang [isipin nila] na UST oriented ‘yan, mahal niya ang UST, hindi pinapahiya ‘yung UST,” she said.
Although she fell short of a title, the high-flying Cebuana has four championships and four MVP’s in the beach volleyball tournament and one MVP in the indoor volleyball tournament.
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