Ever since bursting onto the scene during her stint with the De La Salle Lady Spikers in the UAAP, Aby Maraño has remained one of the more popular volleyball players in the country.
Aside from her swag, which she arguably pioneered in the PVL, the F2 Logistics Cargo Movers star is also known for her outspokenness and articulation. She even won an essay-writing contest!
But apart from those traits, she's also known for one other thing: Her hair.
Both fans and bashers have regularly commented on how Maraño likes to put 300,000 hair clips when she plays. It has become her trademark, along with her beast-mode attitude. She has said before that aside from giving her better vision, wearing a bunch of hair clips is also a good luck charm.
But on Thursday against the Cignal HD Spikers, with F2 Logistics' good luck seemingly faltering in the PVL Second All-Filipino Conference, Tyang Aby reverted to her old short haircut, which she sported during college.
"Nagpahaba kasi ako and nagpakulot. Then nag-dry na siya. So na-feel ko na siguro it's about time for a change ulit. Binalik ko lang ulit 'yung feels na ganyan. Tapos ang nagdami nagsabi na bumata ako nang three years," said Maraño with a laugh in an interview with One Sports. "Natuwa naman ako, kahit papaano, na-appreciate rin nila 'yung bagay na gusto kong gawin sa sarili ko."
May pinagdadaanan kapag bagong gupit, as some would say. That could be true for Maraño and the Cargo Movers, who have lost back-to-back games and dropped to 4-4 for a tie for sixth place with the Petro Gazz Angels.
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But is there something superstitious about cutting her hair short? The 30-year-old Maraño gave a way simpler explanation.
"Somehow, na-miss ko pa rin 'yung super haba ng hair. Pero ngayon lang, gusto ko lang tanggalin 'yung mga dry part, para kapag nag-grow, mas maganda," explained the veteran spiker.
F2 Logistics aims to arrest its two-game skid on Tuesday as it takes on the Choco Mucho Flying Titans.
(With reports from Jamie Velasco, One Sports Digital)