BELLA Belen’s second PVL conference with Capital1 hit a sudden stop after a straight-sets loss to Galeries Tower, 16-25, 20-25, 28-30, in their knockout All-Filipino Conference play-in game on Tuesday.
Moments after the defeat, Belen was seen in a one-on-one conversation with head coach Jorge Souza de Brito along the halls of the Playtime Filoil Centre, a fitting snapshot of a team left searching for answers.
READ: Vengeful Galeries Tower takes down Capital1 in PVL play-in game
The mood was somber, but Belen shared that their discussion centered on coping with high-pressure moments where much of the offensive load has fallen on her shoulders.
“Nag-uusap nga kami ni Coach Jorge na it’s all a mental game talaga. ‘Yung tapang, ‘yung puso sa paglalaro, kailangang nandun,” Belen said.
“Siguro dahil hindi pa ganun karami ‘yung experience namin as a team or as players, kaya ganun ‘yung nangyayari ngayon sa team.”
Something's gotta give
For most of the conference, Belen shrugged off talk of Capital1 leaning too heavily on her. But the numbers say otherwise.
The 23-year-old rookie dropped 20 points or more in nine of their 10 games, including a 21-point, 12-dig, nine-reception outing in their final stand, where no other teammate reached double figures.
She even poured in seven of Capital1’s last eight points in the third set to force a 23-all, nearly dragging the team across the line.
This time, though, Belen acknowledged the need for change.
“Ganun talaga ako eh. Kapag tough situations, I feel like, kaya ko, parang ganun. Pero siguro, mas magiging maganda nga if buong team din ganun,” she said.
Instead of pointing fingers, Belen looked inward.
“Nakakalungkot kasi kaya naman sana namin and I feel like meron pa sana akong ginawa to contribute pa sana sa team para naipanalo sana namin ‘yung game,” she added.
“Nakaka-frustrate kasi kapag alam mo sa sarili mo na kaya sana naming talunin ‘yung team na ‘yun, na kaya naming ipanalo ‘yung game pero hindi namin nagagawa.”
'Act like pros'
For Belen, the next step is simple: play and act like pros.
“Before kasi mangyari ‘yun, kailangang mag-umpisa talaga sa discipline ng player. Pro na po kami. Kailangan mas disiplinado na kami compared sa mga collegiate players,” she said.
“‘Yun lang naman ‘yung gusto kong makita sa team na kung papano kami lalaban sa mga dikdikan na laban, sa mga laban na dapat naming naipapanalo.”
Even in another gut-wrenching loss, Belen made her stance clear: "Dapat hindi ako magsawa maglaro for Capital1.”
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