Three-time UAAP MVP favorite Bella Belen keeps team first amid legendary individual run

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Boasting second-to-none swagger and skills to back her talk up, two-time UAAP women's volleyball MVP and Season 87 frontrunner Bella Belen stays grounded with what's truly important: the sustained team-wide excellence of mighty NU

MANILA, Philippines – When all is said and done, Bella Belen will etch her name in lore as one of the greatest women’s volleyball players in UAAP history.

A two-time MVP winner for the NU Lady Bulldogs, the fourth-year superstar is once again leading the pack as the Season 87 MVP frontrunner in what is, in all likelihood, her final UAAP year before seeking greener pastures in the professional ranks.

Belen only further strengthened her case as the top individual threat at the start of the eliminations’ second round, as she scattered 23 points off 17 attacks, 4 blocks, and 2 aces to go with 17 excellent receptions and 7 excellent digs in NU’s four-set romp over rival La Salle on Sunday, March 23.

Despite a growing set of accolades, the mentality, however, remains the same for Belen, the first rookie MVP in UAAP women’s volleyball history, and now a highly-prized prospect of the Alas Pilipinas national team.

Until the day she leaves, everything she does will always be for NU.

“I believe those awards are just there on the side,” Belen said in Filipino after the La Salle repeat win. “I just need to do what I can contribute to the team since it’s always a team effort.”

“All I want is to elevate my level of play since there are always great kids entering the UAAP, so I have to keep up. Awards are just bonuses and we must all stay true to our real goal this season.”

Add NU head coach Sherwin Meneses to Belen’s ever-growing list of admirers, as the new Lady Bulldogs mentor gushed about her strong qualities after half a season of handling the generational standout.

“The first good thing about her is her handling of the team in and out of the court, that’s number one,” said the soft-spoken mentor, who has guided other iconic volleyball MVPs like Alyssa Valdez, Tots Carlos, Jema Galanza, Mylene Paat, and many others with Adamson and PVL dynasty Creamline.

“As a captain ball, she’s able to handle the young players well and it’s very telling of you with how you handle those younger than you. So I’m really impressed with her leadership skills.”

At season’s end, Belen may very well end up with her third MVP award in just four seasons, should she keep up her all-around explosions while keeping other contenders like La Salle’s Shevana Laput at bay.

All that glamor, however, never mattered for Belen, as ending her iconic career with championship No. 3 would certainly trump all dime-a-dozen individual recognitions falling into her lap. – Rappler.com