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After a strong PVL rookie year, Bella Belen will now turn her attention to Alas Pilipinas in the SEA Games.
Often used to fighting for championships, Bella Belen was shown the door early in her Premier Volleyball League debut with the Capital1 Solar Spikers.
The first-overall pick in the 2025 PVL Rookie Draft, Belen’s PVL debut came to a close on Monday, November 24, after the Solar Spikers were swept by the ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles in the Reinforced Conference quarterfinals.
Still, Belen remains grateful for the experience, as playing in the PVL challenged her in new ways and gave her countless lessons to carry forward.
“Very challenging siya talaga, iba na ‘yung laruan dito sa PVL unlike sa UAAP, so mas mataas ‘yung level of competition here,” Belen said after Capital1’s 14-25, 20-25, 18-25 loss to ZUS Coffee.
“Kailangan din minsan alam mo kung paano i-handle siguro ‘yung emotions, ‘yung excitement every game. As in, every team dito adjusting really well talaga eh, mabilis sila mag-adjust so dapat ganon din kami as Capital1, kailangan alam namin kung kailan kami gagana.”
The former National University captain averaged 15.5 points throughout the elimination rounds to form a one-two punch with Ukrainian import Sasha Bytsenko on offense, and was one of the conference’s top floor defenders with 3.30 excellent digs per set.
While it was nothing short of challenging, Belen is grateful to have made her debut in the Reinforced Conference, given that she was able to play against imports that shared their athletic gifts and veteran wits to the playing field.
“Mas mataas talaga ‘yung level ng paglalaro and ang dami kong natutunan from them, hindi lang from Ate Sasha. Syempre sa ibang teams din and sa imports nila,” reflected Belen, who faced the likes of Eli Rousseaux, Lindsey Vander Weide, and Anna DeBeer as a rookie.
“Feeling ko, kailangan ko kumuha ng kung anong pwede ko matutunan from them, lalo from Ate Sasha, malaki ‘yung naitulong niya sa career ko and ‘yung point of view ko sa volleyball, mas lumawak.”
On to the SEA Games
With Capital1’s season now over, Bella Belen will shift her focus to Alas Pilipinas Women as they prepare for the 33rd Southeast Asian Games this December. On top of potentially fighting for the flag, Belen sees it as the perfect opportunity to apply the lessons she’s learned from this year’s Reinforced Conference.
“Ibang sistema pero malaking tulong siya for me na pagdating sa SEA Games na alam ko na dapat ‘yung gagawin ko, tatrabahuhin ko. So I’m very happy lang na umabot kami until [PVL] quarterfinals na ang daming lessons,” she said.
“Mindset ko pa rin is mag-show up kasi sa SEA Games, kung sino man ‘yung ma-lineup, very deserving lahat and hindi naman lagi ako maglalaro [for the Philippines], pero everytime na ipapasok ako, I’ll make sure to do by best for the Philippine flag.”
Amid Alas Women’s limited preparation time, Belen also expressed her hope for a proper build-up, especially with less than two weeks left before the SEA Games opens on December 9.
“Hopefully makapag-training na po lahat, kasi mahirap mag-prepare nang ilang araw lang, lalo na ‘yung mga kalaban namin sa SEA Games, matagal nang nagpeprepare, so I’m really hoping na makapag-podium po tayo for SEA Games.”
Images courtesy of the Premier Volleyball League.