Super League MVP award comes as a surprise for Alyssa Solomon

Alyssa Solomon leads NU Lady Bulldogs in Shakey’s Super League individual awarding.

MANILA, Philippines — Alyssa Solomon said she was expecting Bella Belen to win the MVP again after they completed another perfect championship run for National University in the Shakey’s Super League Collegiate Preseason Conference on Saturday at Rizal Memorial Stadium.

But after consistently leading the Lady Bulldogs all throughout to sweep all their eight matches in the tournament, Solomon was crowned as the league’s first-ever MVP.

“Actually, I thought it was Bella that’s why I was so surprised when my name was called. I didn’t expect it because my mindset was to play well and claim the championship,” said the league’s Best Opposite Spiker shortly in Filipino after getting the MVP plum and beating La Salle, 25-23, 25-20, 25-20, in the final.

Solomon, who is turning 21 next month, slammed the door on La Salle, which threatened to force another set after leading early in the third. She nailed a kill to reach match point and delivered the championship spike off a broken play to sweep the preseason with a perfect 8-0 record.

The 6-foot-2 hitter said she didn’t want to lose as it has been their batch’s culture since their playing years at Nazareth School in the UAAP girls’.

“I don’t want to lose because it has been our culture since high school. Every game, we can’t afford to lose. We should always get ahead of our opponents,” said Solomon in Filipino. “When La Salle was leading, we kept on tapping each other and saying: This can’t be. Wake up and look at the score.”

Solomon was happy to be part of the inaugural Super League, where all eight UAAP teams and 10 NCAA schools participated, as she also saw the potential of their rookies, led by Vangie Alinsug.

“We’re happy throughout the tournament because we saw the things that we still need to every day, every training, every game,” she said. “We are proud of our rookies because they performed well. I think they can beat us (starters) because they are so competitive in training.”

Despite completing another perfect run, Solomon stressed they shouldn’t be contented as they shift their focus to their title-retention bid in the UAAP Season 85 women’s volleyball tournament next year.

“We can’t be complacent we have to continue seeking improvement even the little things. Because those little things can be a factor to lose a game,” said Solomon. “We need to be more consistent in our passing because in the final game we didn’t have it. We can’t play like that in the UAAP.”