For 22 years, Aby Maraño knew exactly where she belonged.
On a volleyball court.
From her beginnings at De La Salle University to becoming one of the most recognizable figures in Philippine volleyball, Maraño spent more than two decades building a career defined by championships, leadership, personality, and an unmistakable willingness to fight for every ball.
At 33, however, Maraño is finally stepping away.
Not because her body can no longer keep up.
Not because she has lost her competitive fire.
And certainly not because she has stopped loving volleyball.
If anything, that is what made the decision so difficult.
“Actually, hindi naman naging overnight decision sa akin ang pag-retire. Matagal ko na ring inihahanda ang sarili ko na darating talaga yung time na kailangan kong mag-transition from playing professionally to another chapter of my life,” said Maraño.
“After 22 years of playing volleyball, masasabi kong kaya ko pa naman physically and competitively. Wala naman akong major injury, and I know that I can still compete,” she added.
That realization is what makes Maraño's retirement different.
She knows she can still play.
She simply no longer feels the need to.
When her contract with Nxled expired, Maraño—then completing a remarkable 22-year journey and her 10th club—found herself facing a decision she had anticipated for years.
Normally, the end of a contract meant the beginning of another search: another team, another negotiation, another season, another set of expectations.
This time, something had changed.
Instead of wondering where she would play next, Maraño began wondering what life might look like if she did not play professionally anymore.
“Pero when my contract with Nxled ended, doon ko napansin sa sarili ko na instead of feeling excited about finding another team and negotiating another contract, mas naging excited ako sa possibility ng isang buhay sa labas ng propesyonal na paglalaro ng balibol,” she explained.
That feeling gave her an answer.
“Doon ko na-realize na baka ito na talaga yung time. I had reached a point where I was already at peace with the idea of letting go of professional volleyball kasi wala naman na akong hinahabol sa career ko, nasulit ko na,” Maraño continued.
“Naibuhos ko na lahat para sa laro. Nag-eenjoy na lang talaga ako maglaro nitong huli.”
There was no unfinished business.
For years, Maraño had poured herself into volleyball. She had competed at the highest levels available to her, won championships, represented the country, led teams, endured the physical demands of the sport, and built a reputation that extended far beyond her statistics.
Eventually, she understood that continuing to play was no longer about proving something.
She had already given the game everything she had.
“Magre-retire ako hindi dahil hindi ko na mahal ang isport, kundi dahil ready na ako for a different purpose and a different way of serving. Naiintindihan ko kasi na may buhay sa labas ng apat na sulok ng court at ang libro ng buhay naming mga atleta ay hindi nagtatapos sa iilang kabanata lang — may hangganan ang kabanata ng paglalaro,” she said.
“Although volleyball shaped me in all aspects of life, at the end of the day, playing is not forever — there is more to life than this sport too. I am definitely taking everything I learned through the years of playing volleyball- the discipline, resilience, confidence, the sense of teamwork, and ability to work under pressure with me in this new chapter of my life,” she continued.
“So yeah, I guess this is it. I made peace in my heart already. My love for volleyball will always remain. I will continue to support the sport, the athletes, and the development of volleyball in whatever capacity I can.”
Yet peace did not mean the goodbye was painless.
For someone who had spent most of her life competing, leaving the sport meant leaving behind a routine that had become almost inseparable from her identity.
The practices.
The games.
The teammates.
The pressure.
The adrenaline.
The feeling of stepping onto the court and knowing that the next point mattered.
Maraño had spent 22 years living that life.
Walking away from it was bound to hurt.
“Mas masakit pa ’to sa pakikipag-break sa tao. Sobrang sakit. Hindi ko alam kung saan ilalagay yung sakit that even until now while I’m having this conversation, naiiyak ako.”
The tears, however, did not necessarily mean regret.
They were the natural consequence of saying goodbye to something that had been there for almost every important stage of her adult life.
Maraño had already begun preparing herself for that moment long before she officially reached it. And eventually, she found herself asking a question that professional athletes rarely have enough time to confront:
What comes next?
For the two-time UAAP MVP, the answer did not have to erase volleyball from her life.
It simply had to exist beyond the four corners of the court.
“I believe that some things have to end in order for something great to start. So yes, there was sadness, but there was also peace. I think that’s when I knew it was the right decision,” Maraño said.
And so, fittingly, her next chapter would still keep her close to the sport that shaped her.
Only this time, she would experience it from a different perspective.
Maraño has joined F2 Logistics as she begins her transition into the corporate world, returning to an organization that was instrumental in one of the most significant chapters of her playing career.
For seven years, she wore the Cargo Movers jersey.
During that stretch, Maraño helped F2 Logistics win six championships in the Philippine Super Liga and was part of the team when it eventually made the move to the Premier Volleyball League.
Even after the organization disbanded its volleyball team in 2022 and Maraño moved on to other clubs, the relationship remained.
“I’m now with F2 Logistics, which is actually a very meaningful transition for me because F2 has been part of my life for so many years,” Maraño shared.
“I spent seven years with F2 as a player, and even after the team was disbanded and I moved on to play with another team, I remained close with Sir Efren (CEO) and we continued to communicate,” she added.
There is a certain symmetry to the move.
F2 Logistics once provided Maraño with a stage to compete.
Now, it is giving her a different kind of stage as she prepares for life outside professional sports.
And as she makes that transition, Maraño carries with her lessons that were forged long before she became a veteran of Philippine volleyball.
Among the most important came from her years at La Salle under legendary coach Ramil De Jesus.
De Jesus helped shape Maraño's game, but his influence extended beyond what happened inside the court. Under his tutelage, she developed the discipline, toughness, leadership, and confidence that would eventually become defining traits of her career.
“Malaking bagay din sa akin na naging player ako ni Coach Ramil de Jesus. He became a huge part of my journey as an athlete, a leader and as a person. That’s one experience in my career that I will always treasure, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world,” the former Lady Spikers captain said.
Those lessons will now travel with Maraño into a world where success will no longer be measured by points, wins, or championships.
But perhaps the biggest challenge of all is figuring out who Aby Maraño is when she is no longer expected to be a volleyball player.
For years, she was the fierce competitor.
The captain.
The veteran.
The player who would throw herself at a loose ball without hesitation.
The woman with the swagger, the confidence, the colorful hair clips, and the personality that made her impossible to overlook.
“Tyang Aby” became more than a nickname.
It became a character that fans, teammates, and opponents came to know.
But Maraño hopes that when people look back on her career, they remember more than the personality and the theatrics.
She wants them to remember the person underneath it all.
“I also hope that they will remember me, hindi lang yung Tyang na maraming hair clips, hindi lang yung Tyang na i-a-Aby Maraño ka bawat puntos, hindi lang yung Tyang na kapitana, hindi lang yung Tyang Aby na maangas sa court, hindi lang yung Tyang na makikipagpatayan para sa bola,” she said.
“Kundi maging yung Tyang Aby na may paninindigan at lakas ng loob para humarap sa anumang hamon ng buhay.”
That may ultimately be the most fitting way to remember Maraño's 22 years in volleyball.
Not simply through the trophies she lifted or the awards she collected.
Not only through the matches she won or the battles she fought.
But through the resilience that allowed her to keep moving forward—and the courage to recognize when it was time to move in a different direction.
Volleyball gave Maraño a life.
Now, she is ready to discover what life has to give her beyond volleyball.
