FOR 22 years, Aby Maraño made a career out of embracing the chaos.
Now, at 33, the veteran middle blocker has decided it is time to step away.
Maraño announced her retirement from volleyball on Wednesday, bringing the curtain down on one of the most prolific and colorful careers in Philippine volleyball.
LOOK:
“Thank you, volleyball,” Maraño wrote in a Facebook post. “Salamat sa buhay na binigay mo sa akin. Salamat sa mga lesson. Salamat sa mga taong ipinakilala mo sa akin. Salamat sa pagbuo mo ng pagkatao ko.”
Maraño spent 12 years in the club scene, playing for 10 different teams, with Nxled serving as the final stop. But long before she became a fixture in the pro ranks, Maraño established herself as one of the most decorated players in La Salle history.
She won three UAAP championships with the Lady Spikers and captured two UAAP MVP awards, cementing her place among the Taft school’s most accomplished players.
Her career eventually extended far beyond the UAAP.
Maraño spent eight years with the Philippine national team, a stint highlighted by her captaincy and the leadership role she embraced through several iterations of the program.
Yet for all the intensity that defined her career, Maraño wants her farewell to be remembered not as an ending, but as a celebration.
“Ayokong maalala ang pamamaalam na ito bilang wakas. I want it to be a celebration. A celebration of everything we became together,” she wrote.
‘Tyang Aby’ may be stepping away from the court, but she made clear that volleyball will remain part of her life.
“Pero ang Tyang Aby, hindi kailanman lalayo sa volleyball. This is not goodbye,” she wrote.
“Thank you for the most beautiful 22 years of my life as a player. And now, with a grateful heart, no regrets, and so much excitement for what lies ahead. It’s time to turn the page to the next chapter.”
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
