PVL: Eager to raise her game, Bella Belen scores career-high as pro
Capital1 Solar Spikers’ Bella Belen during a game against ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles in the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Bella Belen opened her second PVL conference with a career-high 26 points as she looks to continue raising the level of her play.
Leading a new-look Capital1, Belen took charge down the stretch to fend off ZUS Coffee, 25-17, 25-16, 15-25, 25-19, in the 2026 All-Filipino Conference on Tuesday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
READ: PVL: Bella Belen upbeat on Capital1 additions ahead of All-Filipino
“My mindset is always to surpass my performance from the last conference. I don’t really think about proving anything to others. For me, it’s about proving to myself that I can keep improving every conference,” said Belen.
The top overall pick in last year’s draft finished with 24 kills and two aces, along with 16 digs and seven excellent receptions. She also denied ZUS Coffee’s late comeback bid by scoring six points during Capital1’s decisive 12-2 run in the fourth set.
WATCH: Bella Belen talks about the new look Capital1 Solar Spikers. #PVL2026 | @LanceAgcaoilINQ pic.twitter.com/a6vjTQ5LNm
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“Sometimes there’s an impression that when the team needs points, I’m the one who has to step up. I think in the last set, that was the moment. We had a chance to finish the game, but ZUS was still fighting. If we gave them another opportunity, they could’ve stolen the game. So I told myself I had to push and give everything I had,” Belen said.
Belen credited her new teammates as Shaya Adorador, Ysa Jimenez, Pauline Gaston, and Rachel Jorvina all impressed in their Capital1 debuts
“I’m really happy we won the game. I couldn’t have done it without my teammates. I wasn’t really aiming to score that much—I just focused on doing my job as a player and contributing whatever the team needed,” she said.
“The team is more competitive now. Everyone is willing to learn and put in the effort to perform and to win games.”
In her second conference in the PVL, Belen is embracing her role as the leader of the Solar Spikers despite being a rookie.
“My role as a player is something I have to fulfill. Just because I’m new to the team and a rookie in the PVL doesn’t mean I should play like one. Whatever I’m capable of doing, I need to do it. I also see that this team can go far. When you look at the lineup, the players complement each other well,” she said.
