NU Lady Bulldogs star Bella Belen in action in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament. -MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Bella Belen is on track to win her third UAAP MVP award after leading the Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament statistical rankings at the end of the first round while Kennedy Batas could be Ateneo’s first MVP since Marck Espejo in the men’s race.
After leading National University to a perfect 7-0 record, Belen is on pace to join an elite club as a three-time MVP winner along with the likes of Alyssa Valdez of Ateneo from Seasons 76 to 78 and Far Eastern University’s Monica Aleta from 2000 to 2002.
The two-time UAAP MVP led the race with 159.600 points after the first round. She wasn’t in the top five scorers with 107 points off 84 attacks, 17 aces, and six blocks, but she was the top server with 0.68 aces per set, sixth in digs with 2.60 per set, and fifth in receptions with a 33.58 percent efficiency rate.
READ: UAAP: Bella Belen eyes last title shot with NU Lady Bulldogs
Belen, who became women’s volleyball’s first rookie MVP in Season 84 in 2022, vows no let-up in the second round despite dominating their first seven games.
“Since it’s already the second round, all teams will adjust. We’ll be more familiar with each other. So we need to step up even more. We have to do better than we did in the first round, and I know we can with the help of our coaches and teammates,” said Belen in Filipino after surviving Finals rival University of Santo Tomas in five sets on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Close to Belen’s MVP bid is La Salle’s rising star Shevana Laput after tallying 157.692 statistical points after the Lady Spikers’ 5-2 campaign in Round 1.
The third-year Lady Spiker led the Best Opposite Spiker race with 274 points, ahead of NU star Alyssa Solomon, who had 214 points, and UST Tigress Reg Jurado (185) after leading La Salle to a 5-2 first-round finish.
Belen is also on track to winning her third Best Outside Spiker award, leading the position with fellow former rookie MVP Angel Canino with 303 and 267 points, respectively.
Shaina Nitura, who recently set the scoring record of 38 points and topped all scorers with 170 points in the first round, was third in the MVP race with 145.556 SPs, and could be a runaway winner of the Rookie of the Year as her closest competitor was La Salle setter Mikole Reyes, who is 23rd in statistical points.
READ: UAAP: Rookie Shaina Nitura leading all scorers after first round
Canino (141.538) and Vange Alinsug (130.000) were in the top five of the MVP race. Rounding out the top 10 Solomon (126.000), last year’s top rookie Angge Poyos (120.345), Jurado (113.103), NU’s Shaira Jardio (106.400), and Lams Lamina (101.600).
La Salle’s Lilay Del Castillo led all middle blockers with 181 points, as Ateneo’s AC Miner is on pace of winning the second Best Middle Blocker with 171 points.
FEU’s Tin Ubaldo is ahead of the competitive Best Setter race with 192 points, followed by Season 84 Best Setter Lamina (173) and UST’s Season 86 Best Setter Cassie Carballo (164).
Jardio topped the Best Libero in the first round with 205 points, leading Adamson’s Juris Manuel (197) and UST’s two-time Best Libero Detdet Pepito (189).
Ateneo’s Ken Batas.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
In the men’s division, an Ateneo Blue Eagle leads the MVP race for the first time since Espejo won his fifth and last in 2018 as Batas garnered 160.370 SPs — the best scorer with 142 points, fourth in spiking efficiency at 45.52%, fourth in aces with 0.37 per set, and eighth in digging with 1.44 per set.
Batas is also favored to win the Best Opposite award with 230 points after leading Ateneo to a 4-3 record.
UST rookie JJ Macam is second in the SP rankings with 148.750 — also leading the Rookie of the Year race–followed by FEU’s Mikko Espartero (147.917), La Salle’s Noel Kampton (145.000), and UST’s Popoy Colinares (140.833).
Macam heads the Best Outside Spiker table with 281 points, followed by Espartero (259) and Kampton (226).
In the Best Middle Blocker race, Colinares leads with 245 points, followed by Ateneo’s Jettlee Gopio (194).
UST’s Dux Yambao leads the Best Setter category with 196 points, while La Salle senior and reigning Best Libero Nard Guerrero is in a tight battle to keep his throne, topping the race with 210 points and leading FEU’s Vennie Ceballos (201).