Bella Belen’s brilliance against the Creamline Cool Smashers on Saturday’s PVL All-Filipino action did not go unnoticed.
Despite the Capital1 Solar Spikers’ straight-sets loss, 25-18, 26-24, 25-20, to the Cool Smashers, Belen’s 26-point explosion drew praise from Creamline head coach Sherwin Meneses and setter Jia De Guzman.
Belen, Meneses, and De Guzman: Shared Connections
Meneses previously coached Belen at National University in the UAAP, where they won a championship together. De Guzman, meanwhile, served as Belen’s setter with Alas Pilipinas, where the duo reached the podium in multiple international tournaments.
“Actually, target talaga namin ‘yung ganong situation na medyo ma-control namin si Bella. Happy ako kasi ‘yung mga last na rotation ni Bella, medyo madalang na ‘yung puntos niya,” Meneses said.
In the second set, the former UAAP MVP rotated to the back row just as Creamline mounted its comeback from a 23-17 deficit to steal the frame, 26-24.
“Kahit na sunod-sunod ‘yung puntos niya, importante kasi ‘yung crucial points, mai-stop namin si Bella. I think successful naman ‘yung ano namin, ‘yung goal namin para kay Bella. Pero knowing Bella, talagang di siya bibitaw, so naging maganda lang siguro ‘yung composure ng team pagdating kay Bella. I think nakuha naman namin,” Meneses added.
De Guzman echoed the sentiment, emphasizing Belen’s competitiveness.
“‘Yung number one kay Bella d’yan, she’s very competitive, like what we expected. As much as we want to put a stop to her scoring, na-expect din namin na she will keep scoring, and she will fight until the end,” De Guzman said.
Another Star Chimes In
Jema Galanza also highlighted Belen’s impact beyond the stat sheet.
“Makikita mo talaga sa kanya na ‘yung fighting spirit niya. Siya ‘yung mga pro na hindi susuko. Kaya siya pa ‘yung magbibigay talaga ng motivation sa teammates niya. So, sobrang happy lang for her na ang laki na, mas go-grow siya ngayon sa pro,” Galanza added.
Creamline returns to action against the Galeries Tower Highrisers on Tuesday, March 3, at 6:30 p.m. at the FilOil Centre. Meanwhile, Belen and the Solar Spikers face the Farm Fresh Foxies on Thursday, February 26, at 4:00 p.m. at the same venue.
