Aby Maraño made sure her latest homecoming in Passi would be memorable.

Barely seeing action in her first return to her maternal side’s hometown, the Chery Tiggo team captain showcased her brand of game in front of her adoring fellow Ilonggos in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) On Tour’s stop in the province over the weekend.

Her grit, passion and energy fueled the Crossovers’ 25-13, 26-28, 25-15, 25-15, Pool B victory over erstwhile unbeaten Cignal for their third straight win in as many outings last Saturday at the packed City of Passi Arena.

Maraño started in all four sets and finished with seven points as Chery Tiggo boosted its chances of advancing directly to the quarterfinals.

The veteran middle blocker came into the game all pumped up and ready to unleash her signature “beast mode” mantra following a tamed and limited outing on the same venue early this year during the All-Filipino Conference.

“I didn’t get to play much in our last game here in the previous tournament. I saw limited minutes,” Maraño said, recalling she only played in the first two sets in a straight sets loss to Choco Mucho last February.

Maraño only had two points in a 18-25, 23-25, 24-26, defeat to the then Sisi Rondina-led Flying Titans.

“When I learned that we’ll be returning here, I promised myself that if our coaches will give me playing time, I’ll show everyone here in Passi who Aby Maraño is,” she said.

Maraño played her heart out to the delight of her family and relatives, as well as her Iloilo fans, who all went to see her play.

“I have a lot of relatives here in Passi, as in, the Palmares clan is from here. It felt like my whole family was here watching me,” the former national team skipper said.

“I have a lot of childhood memories here especially with my grandmother. We always fly here to celebrate New Year, Christmas and we spend most of our summer vacation here.”

Maraño and the Crossovers are trying to complete a sweep of their weekend stay in Passi against Creamline.