Aby Marano. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Expect Aby Maraño to dish out some swagger as the Philippine national volleyball team tries to make a splash in Singapore for the 2015 Southeast Asian Games.
“Swagger? Of course I’ll bring it. I can’t change that, it comes natural to me when I play,” said a soft-spoken Maraño on Thursday during a lull in a photo shoot at the office of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. “There were times when I was still in college when I don’t react much, I was less intense than my usual self and my game just slipped.”
Maraño is known as one of Philippine volleyball’s most intense players and she lets it known inside the playing court.
Her demeanor may have drawn the ire of some people, but her fans gave her a fitting nickname for her behavior—”Beast Mode.”
READ: ‘Beast mode’ Maraño says will never refuse ‘national call of duty’
While she goes on her “beast mode” a lot during games, Maraño was a playful girl during the shoot as she posed playfully and recreated her signature screams with glee.
Maraño said that she channels her energy to motivate her teammates during games.
“On the court, of course my job is to be the middle spiker. I want to energize my teammates and I’m known as one of the athletes that are very aggressive in terms of my reaction,” Maraño said. “Most of the time, I motivate them. My role is to motivate and perform.” CC