PASSI — After seeing limited action in her first hometown game, Aby Maraño made sure to leave a mark this time around.
Maraño put on a solid performance as Chery Tiggo cruised to its third straight win, defeating Cignal in four sets, 25-13, 26-28, 25-15, 25-15, much to the delight of her fellow Ilonggos and relatives during the 2025 PVL On Tour at the City of Passi Arena here.
The 32-year-old native of Passi contributed seven points — an improvement from her two-point output the last time she played in front of her hometown crowd during their loss to Choco Mucho in the 2024–25 PVL All-Filipino Conference. Her performance helped lift the Crossovers to the top of the standings.
“Last na tournament dito, hindi ako masyadong nakalaro. Konti lang ’yung oras ko na nakapaglaro,” said Maraño, who only saw action in two sets against the Flying Titans last February 22.
Motivated by that previous outing, Maraño shared how determined she felt to seize this opportunity — to make her time on the court count and proudly represent her roots.
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“Pero nung nalaman ko na babalik dito, sabi ko talaga sa sarili ko: ‘Kapag pinaglaro ako nila coach, kailangan kong ma-showcase talaga kung ano ako para mapakita ko sa lahat ng mga taga-Passi kung sino si Aby Maraño,’” she said.
“So nag-enjoy talaga ako kanina na ma-execute ’yun,” she added.
The 5-foot-8 middle blocker expressed how grateful she was to be back in Passi — and even more so to have delivered a stronger performance this time around.
Maraño called the experience deeply personal, as her relatives from Passi showed their full support, flocking to the arena in numbers to watch her and the rest of the Chery Tiggo squad.
“Marami po akong relatives dito sa Passi, as in, ang angkan namin ng Palmares nandito. Kaya feeling ko buong pamilya ko yung nanonood kanina,” she shared with a smile.
“Sobrang special po kasi growing up, marami akong mga childhood memories dito dahil sa lola ko—lagi kaming umuuwi dito, nagce-celebrate kami ng New Year, Christmas, summer, buong summer, iniiwan kami dito,” she added.
Now with her first win in front of her hometown crowd, the former De La Salle University standout is hungry for more — and feels determined to keep bringing her best, especially with crowd favorites Creamline up next.
“Sobra po akong natutuwa. Gusto ko pong i-alay yung game na ’to para sa mga kababayan ko dito sa Passi. Sana proud sila sa akin.”
