Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
It may just be an exhibition game, but Aby Maraño kept her beast mode on.
“I’m still on beast mode because I want to set that standard that wherever I’m playing, I’ll always play like that,” Maraño said in Filipino after La Salle surrendered a tough five-set defeat to Ateneo on Sunday in the Battle of the Rivals.
READ: Battle of the Rivals: Valdez, Ateneo best La Salle in 5 sets
Maraño showed no letup and shared that even in a game that has no bearing, she still wants to play at her best.
“I didn’t really show the swag because the game isn’t that intense, but I want to perform and do all the right thing,” she said.
Maraño was in her usual relentless self but she admitted the team let its guard down after grabbing a 2-0 lead.
“We played lax. We controlled the first two sets, but in the third and fourth, we didn’t had our first ball. I keep on saying that if we get that first ball, we can set our plays well, and we can quickly kill the ball. But if we don’t, that’s when the game goes long and a rally happens and the ball dies on our court,” she said.
Defeated, Maraño said she treasured the rare opportunity to team up anew with past La Salle standouts.
“It’s like deja vu,” she said. “It reminded us of the moments which we went through in the UAAP, that when we score, we celebrate. The way we play, our intensity when we score, those feelings gave us flashbacks. Those memories really made me happy,”
“Even though we lost, I’m just really happy. My mindset is to play and enjoy and experience this feeling again playing at MOA Arena.”