Maraño shows lighter side in F2’s title-clinching Game 2

Aby Maraño made a name for herself not just as one hell of a player but also as a fiery on-court personality.

The lady known as “Beast Mode” amassed a couple of UAAP MVP awards and countless Best Middle Blocker awards be it of the first and second degrees.

Maraño did all this brandishing a personality that is best described as intense. But the national team skipper and F2 Logistics veteran also has a lighter side amid her passionate demeanor.

In the title-clinching Game 2 of the Philippine Superliga Invitational Conference finals, Maraño, in the middle of her shouts, was seen smiling to her teammates in an attempt to cool down the situation against Petron.

“I was just telling them over and over that they shouldn’t be fooled because whoever gets fooled is ugly,” said Maraño in Filipino Saturday at Ynares Sports Center.

“I was just trying to make my teammates happy because I don’t want them to feel tight during the game.”

Maraño’s antics seemed to have worked its magic as the Cargo Movers fended off the Blaze Spikers in four sets, 25-18, 23-25, 25-23, 25-18, to claim the title.

F2 got stunned in the second set when Cherry Rondina, who finished with 20 points, led the Blaze Spikers in a rabid comeback.

Petron was down, 16-8, midway through the second set but Rondina willed the blaze Spikers, scoring their last five points and eventually taking the set.

Maraño said she reminded her teammates to calm down and have a peaceful thought process to prevent themselves from getting too stressed out.

“I want them to play with a peaceful mind, happy, and they can think clearly,” said Maraño, who had 15 points to lead the Cargo Movers. “If we give ourselves to the game, everything will just fall into place.”

“I kept reminding my teammates about it and I see them really getting into it and I see them agreeing with me so the flow of the game went smoothly for us.”