No, not Alyssa Valdez, nor Mika Reyes. It’s Aby Maraño—she with the colorful hairstyles and highly contagious energy on the court—was “first in” in the final lineup of the Philippine national volleyball team.
That is after she was unanimously picked by coaching staff and officials as the most outstanding player from the squad that saw action in the Asian Clubs in Kazakhstan last month.
But it didn’t start well for the feisty 5-foot-9 middle blocker who, according to the coaching staff, was first on the chopping block when the team arrived in Ust-Kamenogorsk.
She was even benched when the team debuted against Hisamitsu Springs of Japan.
Yet slowly, Maraño won over the coaching staff with her kill blocks and running spikes.
Later in the tournament, national coach Francis Vicente and Asian Clubs manager Anna Tomas were singling Maraño out because of her spunk and contagious grit.