GOLDEN Tigresses team captain Sisi Rondina is set to be named as the Most Valuable Player (MVP), while Eya Laure emerged as the top rookie in the UAAP Season 81 women’s volleyball tournament, said UST coach Emilio “Kung Fu” Reyes Jr.
This is the first time that the MVP and Rookie of the Year awards will be given to players from the same school since De La Salle University’s Aby Maraño (MVP) and Ara Galang won the feat in Season 74.
Rondina, who won four UAAP beach volleyball championships and four MVP awards, will also bag the Best Scorer and Second Best Outside Hitter awards after averaging 17.7 points per game (ppg).
She will become the second player in UAAP history to win both the indoor and beach volleyball MVP titles in a single season since Far Eastern University’s Wendy Semana won it in Season 70.
Laure, who averaged 16.4 ppg, will be the second-straight Tigress to win the Rookie of the Year award. Milena Alessandrini copped the plum last season.
The rookie will also cop the First Best Outside Hitter award.
“Hopefully maging motivation sa kanila ito dalawa and hindi sila ma-pressure dahil sa awards nila. Pareho naman ang thinking nila both and they are not eyeing the individual awards, but the bigger picture which is ‘yong crown,” Reyes told the Varsitarian.
The Tigresses will face the Ateneo de Manila University Lady Eagles in the best-of-three finals series starting on May 11, Saturday, 4 p.m., at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
