For its latest ambassador, Philippine Superliga wanted somebody who represents “girl power, sisterhood and strength.”
The league found all that—and more—in feisty middle blocker Aby Maraño.
“That’s my personality. I’m very vocal especially when I think I’m on the side of the truth,” Maraño told the Inquirer. The 24-year-old is playing for F2 Logistics in the coming PSL Grand Prix. “I speak out no matter what.”
With almost 200,000 Twitter followers and a “Beast Mode, Don’t Care” attitude, Maraño said she hopes to inspire fellow players as well as volleyball fans to “give it their best and show the detractors how strong they are.”
A member of many national teams, Maraño has proven herself not only on the court where she stood her ground against taller, foreign players, but also against social media trolls who attacked the Philippine squad and the PSL.
“Maybe it’s because I once defended the PSL against trolls, there was a time when I made a stand against so-called fans who were out of line,” said Maraño .
She herself was surprised of the PSL’s choice of image model which used to lean on the likes of former ambassadors Mika Reyes, Cha Cruz and Gretchen Ho.
“When I feel there’s a need to speak up, I never hesitate, of course I have to defend my teammates,” said Maraño.