Facing Aby, Ara motivated Dawn
FOR the first time in about a decade, the La Salle and F2 Logistics trio of Aby ‘’Tyang’’ Maraño, Ara Galang, and Dawn MacandiliCatindig shared the court not as teammates but as opponents.
On Sunday, February 4 at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum, Maraño and Galang were with the Chery Tiggo Crossovers while Macandili-Catindig was with the Cignal HD Spikers in the PNVF Champions League, serving as part of their buildup for the 2024 PVL season.
Kim Fajardo, Majoy Baron, and Kianna Dy, their teammates at La Salle and F2, meanwhile, were on the stands watching them play.
Fajardo, Baron, and Dy are now with the PLDT High Speed Hitters, having changed threads as well following the disbandment of the Cargo Movers last year.
But the focus of the evening was at Maraño, Galang, and Macandili-Catindig since they’re the ones playing.
For the multi-awarded libero MacandiliCatindig, facing Maraño and Galang served as motivation for her, bent on doing well against the players she shared the dugout and won championships with at La Salle and F2 Logistics.
“It was super motivating to face them because they’d been my teammates [for so long] and we used to pull each other up. So it’s kind of motivating to share the court with them as opponents this time around,” said Macandili-Catindig.
Macandili-Catindig anchored Cignal’s defense, enabling the HD Spikers to score a 28-26, 25-19, 27-25 sweep.
The 5-foot libero shared that it dawned on her how she’s no longer training and playing with Maraño, Galang, Baron, Fajardo, Dy and their other teammates for the first time in a long time.
“It dawned on me [that we’re no longer teammates] when we started training with different teams. We’re no longer seeing each other everyday and bonding after training. It finally sank in,” said Macandili-Catindig.
It is what it is. Now, Macandili-Catindig is focused on helping Cignal which system, she said, doesn’t give her a hard time grasping.
“I’m so happy to be with this team and get this win. We worked together to get it,” she said.