PVL: Aby Maraño determined to give back to ‘very committed’ Chery Tiggo

PVL: Aby Maraño determined to give back to ‘very committed’ Chery Tiggo

MANILA, Philippines — In her first stint with Chery Tiggo, Aby Maraño is beyond grateful to return to the PVL semifinals with “very talented and passionate” teammates.

Although Crossovers were pushed to their limits by the gritty Galeries Tower, they pulled off a 26-24, 23-25, 19-25, 25-12, 15-9 win in the 2024 All-Filipino Conference on Thursday at Philsports Arena to book their second straight trip to the semifinals.

Making this semifinals trip more special is having new players Maraño and Ara Galang as well as returning setter Alina Bicar on their side when they face defending champion Creamline, runner-up Choco Mucho, and Petro Gazz in another round-robin, where the top two emerge as the finalists.

READ: PVL: Aby Maraño credits improving chemistry to Chery Tiggo streak

“I’m grateful that my team that is going to the finals has members who are good, very talented, very committed, and passionate about volleyball. So, I don’t see anything that will hinder us going through the semifinals until we get to the ultimate goal,” said Maraño, who has been providing leadership to young guns Eya Laure, Cess Robles, Cza Carandang, and Jennifer Nierva.

“Every single day, I see the fire in my team down to our coaches and Chery Tiggo management. I’m very excited for us to get something this conference.”

Giving back

Maraño, who played for F2 Logistics for the longest time before it was disbanded last December, is ready to deliver her on-court intensity, leadership, and veteran smarts, hoping to repay the trust of her new family when the semis fires off on Tuesday next week at Philsports Arena.

READ: PVL: Chery Tiggo gets semifinals spot with tough win over Galeries

“[I am] forged by time. I was known through my capabilities. I take it motivation from the love and trust that I get from the team every single day, despite my coming from a different team for the longest time,” said the veteran middle blocker

“Part of the fire that keeps me going is to give back the respect and love I feel from them. I want to help them in all things and all aspects so we can get to our ultimate goal.

“When it was announced my team was getting disbanded, I only had my eyes on Chery. So now that I’m here, I see no reason for me not to go all-out.”

The former national team captain is putting a premium on team chemistry, which led to their seven straight wins to finish the elimination round beating including big wins over semifinalists Creamline and Petro Gazz.

“As a team captain, I’m always a believer that team connection doesn’t end inside the volleyball court or the training ground. We need that connection to continue even outside the volleyball court,” said Maraño.

“And it’s very very effective as you can see. Hopefully, this kind of boding will continue so our team will become more solid.”

Chery Tiggo is raring to return to the finals since winning the maiden pro tournament inside the bubble in Bacarra, Ilocos Norte three years ago.

Mylene Paat, however, will miss some games in the 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference semifinals as she tries out in South Korea from April 29 to May 1.

Chery Tiggo coach KungFu Reyes, though, remains optimistic with his wing spikers Eya and EJ Laure, Galang, Robles, and Shaya Adorador even without Paat.