PVL: Cepada grateful, excited to join ‘idol’ Belen at Capital1

MANILA, Philippines — Khy Cepada can’t wait to share the court with her college rival-turned-idol Bella Belen after she was picked by Capital1 in the second round of the 2026 PVL Rookie Draft on Wednesday at Novotel. Cepada, one of the few bright spots for University of the East in their winless runs the past two UAAP seasons, is determined to have a winning start to her pro career with Belen and the Solar Spikers. “My PVL idol right now is Ate Belle, so when I got to shake her hand on stage, I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, is this really happening?’” I was honestly shocked. I feel nothing but gratitude toward Capital1 for choosing me in the draft,” said Cepada in Filipino.

READ: Khy Cepada hopes wins won’t be as elusive in PVL

Khy Cepada on joining the Capital1 Solar Spikers.#PVLDraft #PVL2026 @inquirersports pic.twitter.com/ZpbQ6Ecc08

— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) June 3, 2026

“I’m very excited to train with them, compete against the other teams, and represent Capital1. I really didn’t expect my name to be called that early in the second round, so I’m extremely happy and grateful.” Belen, the PVL Rookie of the Year and Best Outside Spiker, also praised Cepada, citing her fighting spirit during their battled in the UAAP. “I’m happy, of course, because we’ve added another scorer to the team. We all know how competitive and hardworking she is. We saw her performances during the last UAAP season with UE, and it was clear that she always gave her best every game,” said Belen. Now that they’re on the same side, Belen believes Cepada will be a huge help to the team, which also boasts MVPs Vanie Gandler and Erika Santos as well as another UE product Shaya Adorador. “I’m excited to see how much more she can improve in the PVL and how she can help our team moving forward,” Belen said.

READ: PVL: No. 2 pick Detdet Pepito reunites with Bella Belen at Capital1

“We’ve brought in a lot of recruits this year, and hopefully that will give us a stronger team composition. But just because we’ve added talented players doesn’t mean things will automatically become easy. We still have to put in the work during training and continue building our chemistry. Volleyball is truly a team effort. I’m just excited about the journey ahead for Capital1 and what we can accomplish together.” Cepada may have had a losing record in her collegiate career, but she vows to help Capital1 achieve a breakthrough semifinals appearance. “Of course, I’ll try to bring all the good experiences and lessons I gained during my college career to my new team,” Cepada said. “That’s something I always tell myself—I have to keep fighting and become even more competitive. Now that I’ll be sharing the lineup with players like Ate Belle and Ate Vanie, I’ll continue to compete, work hard, and give my best every day.”

TAGS: Capital1 Solar SPikers, PVL