Aby Marano on Late Volleyball Coach Ronald Dulay: "He Fought for Me"

While last Saturday's episode of Usapang PSL was filled with unstoppable bursts of laughter both from the guests and inevitably, from the viewers, it remembered an important figure in the local volleyball scene who made his final spike against a bone marrow disease last August 3, 2020. 

The seventh episode of Usapang PSL saw the return of the ever-energetic Aby Marano of the F2 Logistics Cargo Movers in the Philippine SuperLiga (PSL) as the webcast's full-time host and in the early goings of the episode, Marano paid tribute to the former national team coach, Ronald Dulay. As "Tyang" Aby said, "He's (Dulay) with volleyball for three decades." 

While the late Ronald Dulay has left a lasting impact in Philippine volleyball whether it's the collegiate level or in the professional ranks, Marano shared a beautiful memory that she "will forever carry on with her life as a player" It happened at the time when Marano as a part of the national team that was competing in the 2005 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. Dulay was a part of the coaching staff alongside Marano's current coach in the PSL in Ramil de Jesus. Aby revealed "I was one of the players who can be cut (from the line-up)." Marano wasn't cut from the team as Dulay fought for her staying on the line-up with the player sharing what the veteran mentor told her: "You should trust in yourself because I believe in you." Incidentally, that memory, as Aby said, happened "on the day before our game against Vietnam" and Marano shared "He fought for me to be able to play against Vietnam." Eventually, Marano had a good game against the Vietnamese and by the end of the 2005 SEA Games, the Phillippine women's team took home the bronze medal for the indoor volleyball that year. 

In the end, Aby Marano thanked Coach Ronald Dulay as Dulay, as  Marano said he "is the one of the reasons why my national team experience is very successful."

Screenshot is from the Facebook page of pinoyliga.com