Chery Tiggo team captain Aby Maraño made sure to give Santa Rosa fans their money’s worth on Saturday night.
After playing a key role in the Crossovers’ 25-18, 26-24, 25-23 win over Creamline, Maraño emerged from the dugout during the second match between Galeries Tower and Capital1 to take some pictures with fans on the lower box section of the Santa Rosa Sports Complex.
Maraño happily accommodated everyone and stood there for close to an hour, graciously smiling for every picture during her impromptu meet and greet as the line grew longer by the second.
“Ilang oras ba ‘yon? Magfa-five set na ‘yung ano (Capital1-Galeries game), nando’n pa din ako. Hindi kasi, para sa ‘kin, minsan lang naman nila kami mapupuntahan dito, dinadayo, ine-effort-an,” said Maraño, who even took the time to take a picture with a little girl who waited for her to finish the interview.
“So para sa ‘kin, ayoko ‘yung may nakapila ta’s aalisan ko. Parang nagi-guilty ako do’n sa fact na maglalakad sila nang malayo ta’s pagdating ‘di sila makakapagpa-picture, so okay lang. Laban lang naman,” she added.
As soon as the line dwindled, the fans were moved by the 31-year-old middle blocker’s efforts, prompting loud cheers and applause.
The match between the Crossovers and the Cool Smashers proved to be a jam-packed one, with almost everyone in the crowd supporting the fan-favorite defending champions.
Despite Creamline having the majority of the fans on their side, Maraño expressed her gratitude to the people of Santa Rosa for the appreciation they showed to all the teams in the triple-header.
“Naa-appreciate ko po ‘yon, kahit na alam kong, favorite nila kunwari favorite team nila [yung kalaban], pero ‘yung magpa-picture sila sa akin, naa-appreciate ko po talaga ‘yon. Ibig sabihin naa-appreciate din nila ako as a player.”
Maraño scored only six points in the victory that halted Creamline’s 19-game winning streak, but she provided the energy and the veteran presence needed for the young Crossovers to close it out in straight sets.
The 5-foot-8 pride of Passi, Iloilo shared that she organized a team-building for Chery Tiggo which lasted for three days, and cooked for them following their back-to-back losses to Choco Mucho and Farm Fresh.
Maraño also came up with activities and assignments for the team to take their mind out of their losing slump and help them recover.
The former F2 Logistics star’s efforts proved to have paid dividends as the Crossovers managed to snap out of their funk, bouncing back with a stunning sweep of Creamline, a team that has not experienced a straight-set loss since 2019.
“Sobrang fulfilling ng pakiramdam kase the past few days wasn’t in favor for us. We were really struggling don sa side ng chemistry and everything. So this whole week, in preparation for Creamline, winork out talaga namin ‘yon, I organized a short team building for us just to get to know each and everyone deeper,” she said.
“Tapos after no’n, naging smooth, naging magaan lahat ng ensayo namin, and relationship-wise. Tsaka mas na-strengthen namin ‘yung support system namin together kaya kanina, kahit anong anggulo sa depensa sa taas, sa depensa sa ilalim, mararamdaman mo talaga ‘yung malasakit ng bawat isa eh, saka ‘yung teamwork. ‘Yon ang talagang gumana siguro sa amin today.”
