Aby Maraño (left) and Ara Galang (middle) are ready for another crack at glory with Chery Tiggo. —MARLO CUETO
Ara Galang and Aby Maraño relished the opportunity to share the PVL on Tour big stage with their former La Salle and F2 Logistics teammates in front of longtime coach Ramil De Jesus in an epic five-set final on Sunday at Mall of Asia Arena, but their main focus now is to bring Chery Tiggo back to the top.
The preseason championship was filled with nostalgia as Galang and Maraño played their hearts out to erase a two-set deficit against the powerhouse PLDT, led by Mika Reyes, Majoy Baron, Kianna Dy, and Kim Fajardo, only to lose the fifth set and settle for a runner-up finish, 25-17, 25-17, 19-25, 24-26, 15-8.
It was a reunion for the ex-Cargo Movers and Lady Spikers as they approached their longtime coach De Jesus and his deputy Noel Orcullo right after the game, and their mentors expressed how proud they were.
The PVL on Tour finals made the F2 Logistics standouts relive the highlights of the Cargo Movers’ success in the amateur stage, as well as some clips of their big PVL wins, before the club was disbanded in December 2023.
Galang, who forced a fifth set with her 22-point effort, was happy to see ex-teammates win their very first PVL title with PLDT, but she’s no longer dwelling on how far her former team could have gone had it not disbanded.
“For me, I’m no longer stuck on the ‘what ifs.’ We’re here now with Chery. It’s more of a nostalgic feeling, but not the kind where you wonder, ‘what if things were different,’” said Galang in Filipino.
Maraño, who signed with Galang to Chery Tiggo after their former club’s disbandment, agreed with her longtime teammate.
“Everything happens for a reason. We’re really happy that we made it to the finals,” said Maraño.
Although they couldn’t end Chery Tiggo’s title drought, Maraño was proud to help the team back to the podium for the first time since the franchise won the championship in the 2021 PVL bubble in Bacarra, Ilocos Norte.
And for her, the success was anchored on their ‘no superstar’ culture.
“We’re really happy because we worked hard for this. But at the same time, we believe maybe it just wasn’t our time yet and that’s why we’re even more motivated to keep working for the next opportunities coming our way,” she said. “It’s also great to see someone like Ren Peñafiel, fresh out of college, already stepping up and performing for the team. In Chery, it doesn’t feel like just us veterans are doing the work, the younger players are really showing what they’ve got, and we’re so proud of them.”
Chery Tiggo has a chance to bounce back right away as it opens its Invitational Conference campaign on Thursday against PLDT at Philsports Arena.
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“Of course, the Invitationals include club teams from other countries, especially Japan. We’ll treat it as a learning opportunity, we’ll be going up against top-tier talent, including fellow podium finishers from the PVL,” said Maraño, referring to Japanese teams Kurashiki Ablaze and Kobe Shinwa University. INQ