NU Lady Bulldogs’ Bella Belen in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament. –UAAP PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — After a frustrating loss to Adamson, Bella Belen urged National University to have fun heading into their game against also-ran University of the East on Wednesday.
Despite the absence of one of its stars in Alyssa Solomon, the Lady Bulldogs played with a more relaxed approach and made easy work of the Lady Warriors in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament.
“I have a really high standard for our team. I’ve been with them for a long time, and we’ve played together for years, so I know what each of us is capable of,” said Belen in Filipino after delivering 15 points, 13 digs, and eight excellent receptions to lead a 25-8, 25-22, 25-12 onslaught.
READ: UAAP: Minus Alyssa Solomon, NU gets boost from Aishat Bello
Bella Belen and Lams Lamina on regaining their winning ways. #UAAPSeason87 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/UTI9RCwDF3
— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) April 9, 2025
“Maybe what we need to change is our perspective on volleyball and how we approach the game. Sometimes, we forget that we’re just young players who should be having fun. Sometimes we get too stiff, overthinking and complicating things. It’s all about the mindset — that’s where everything starts. Even though we won today, I think we can still improve and do better in future games,” she added.
For the two-time MVP, two losses against Adamson and University of the Philippines were disappointing as they didn’t live up to the high expectations as the defending champions, who are gunning for their third title in four seasons.
“It’s more about the feeling of disappointment because we know we could’ve done better. Every team in the UAAP, whether they’re lower-ranked or on top, is really competitive. Especially now that the season is nearing its end, everyone wants to win. It’s like, at this point, no one has anything to lose, especially the teams at the bottom. They just want to play well,” said Belen.
“For us, the hardest part of our losses is knowing the potential of our team. I know what I’m capable of as a player, and so do my teammates. The most painful part is that we didn’t perform to our full capability. After those losses, we had so many ‘what ifs’ and I always remind them that we need to give our best every game, so we don’t have any ‘what ifs’ after the match.”
Lams Lamina, who had 18 excellent sets, agreed with Belen as they focused on what they needed to work on after the tough loss to the Shaina Nitura-led Adamson.
READ: UAAP: NU bounces back, crushes UE in women’s volleyball
“After a loss, we focused on recovering and resting. We assessed ourselves and worked on improving what we needed to improve, which really showed in this game. I’m happy because we all put in the effort for this game,” she said. “We saw it as something positive, like there was a purpose behind it. It was a learning experience.”
With a 10-2 record, Belen reminded her team to take care of business when they try to clinch a twice-to-beat bonus against another lower-ranked squad, Ateneo on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“Ateneo is a strong contender. They’re just unlucky with injuries, but they’ve been playing well. We have a lot of respect for them because of their past games — they’ve really pushed their opponents. We don’t want a repeat of what happened with Adamson and UP. We don’t want to feel that pain again. I reminded the team to remember how we felt after those losses, so we don’t go through it again,” Belen said. “We need to work harder and push ourselves if we want to win every game.”