National University Lady Bulldogs team captain Bella Belen is poised to win her third Most Valuable Player award in four seasons.

At the end of the first round of eliminations, Belen led her team to a perfect 7-0 win-loss record, alongside partner-in-crime and terminating opposite hitter Alyssa Solomon.

Aside from Belen, other contenders for the highly-coveted Most Valuable Player award are Solomon, the duo of the De La Salle University Lady Spikers Angel Canino and Shevana Laput, and Adamson University’s super rookie and team captain Shaina Nitura.

Here are their statistics after the first round of eliminations.

National University’s Bella Belen

National University Lady Bulldogs team captain Bella Belen is on pace to win her third Most Valuable Player award in the seniors division as she continues her dominance on the court.

After the first round of eliminations, Belen is the seventh-best scorer with 107 points on 84 attacks, six blocks, and 17 aces, the seventh-best spiker with 33.47% efficiency, the first-best server averaging 0.68 aces per set, the sixth-best digger with 2.6 excellent digs per set, and the fifth best receiver with 33.58 efficiency.

Belen’s best scoring output happened in National University’s five-set 25-15, 23-25, 24-26, 25-23, 15-8 win against the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws on Sunday, February 23, when she scored 21 points on seven aces.

Winning an award is not new for Belen, especially since she is the first-ever player to win the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards in a single season in UAAP Women’s Volleyball, a feat she did in Season 84.

De La Salle University’s Shevana Laput

Now in her third year, De La Salle University opposite hitter Shevana Laput embraced her role as a go-to scorer of her team, providing help from team captain Angel Canino.

After the first round of eliminations, Laput is the third-best scorer with 122 points on 96 attacks, 14 blocks, and 12 aces, the third-best spiker with 37.21% efficiency, the fourth-best blocker with 0.54 blocks per set, and the second-best server with 0.46 aces per set.

Laput’s best scoring output happened in La Salle’s four-set 25-15, 25-14, 20-25. 25-19 win against their archrivals, the Ateneo de Manila University Lady Eagles on Wednesday, March 12, when she scored 25 points on 19 attacks, three blocks, and three aces.

De La Salle University’s Angel Canino

After an injury-plagued last season, De La Salle University Lady Spikers third-year open hitter Angel Canino is now healthier as she leads the team on and off the court as the team captain.

After the first round of eliminations, Canino is the fourth-best scorer with 122 points on 99 attacks, 13 blocks, and six aces, the fifth-best blocker with 0.50 blocks per set, the ninth-best digger with 2.12 excellent digs per set, and the fourth-best receiver with 34.93% efficiency.

Canino’s best scoring output happened in La Salle’s five-set 12-25, 25-22, 25-13, 23-25, 13-15 loss against the University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses on Wednesday, February 26, when she scored 25 points on 21 attacks, three aces, and one block with 17 excellent digs and 16 excellent receptions.

After Belen, Canino is the second player to win both the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player Awards in a single season, achieving the feat in Season 85.

Adamson University’s Shaina Nitura

Adamson University open hitter Shaina Nitura may be a rookie but she already leads the team in scoring and leadership as their team captain.

After the first round of eliminations, Nitura is the best scorer with 170 points on 152 spikes, 10 blocks, and eight aces, the sixth-best spiker with 33.55% efficiency, the seventh-best server with 0.30 aces per set, the eight-best digger with 2.19 excellent digs per set, and the ninth-best receiver with 28.79% efficiency.

Nitura broke history when she scored 38 points in Adamson’s five-set 15-25, 25-15, 26-24, 22-25, 10-15 loss against the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons. Nitura’s 38-point explosion is now the highest point scored in a game, breaking the record of 35 points set by Ateneo’s Alyssa Valdez and UST’s Sisi Rondina.

In high school, Nitura was a two-time 1st Best Outside Hitter, Finals Most Valuable Player, Most Valuable Player, and Athlete of the Year.

National University’s Alyssa Solomon

When Bella Belen is manning the backline, Alyssa Solomon is manning the net as she scores point after point.

After the first round of eliminations, Solomon is the sixth-best scorer with 116 points on 96 attacks, 16 attacks, and four aces, the fourth-best spiker with 35.96% efficiency, and the second-best blocker with 0.64 blocks per set.

Solomon’s best scoring output happened in NU’s five set 23-25, 25-17, 19-25, 25-18, 15-9 win against the University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses on Sunday, March 16, when she scored 24 points on 21 attacks and three blocks.

In the senior division, Solomon won the Season 84 Best Opposite Spiker, Season 86 Finals Most Valuable Player, and Best Opposite Spiker. Solomon is also the player of the week in week 4 of the UAAP Women’s Volleyball.