IN the third time of asking, Capital1 unlocked its first win of the 2025 PVL Reinforced Conference in a 25-20, 23-25, 27-25, 25-12 rout of Nxled on Thursday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Manning the ship for the Solar Spikers’ local core was their prized top draft in Bella Belen with 15 points and 14 digs to backstop a conference-high 39-piece from Ukrainian winger Oleksandra Bytsenko.
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Belen pointed to a stark contrast between their losing starts and their eventual breakthrough victory as far as her team’s demeanor is concerned.
There just wasn’t a sparkplug to fuel Capital1’s in-game energy then.
As such, being the quirky yet aggressive character she’s always been since her National U days, Belen took matters into her own hands.
The way she described it alongside someone who best resembles her bubbly personality in fellow Solar Spiker Trisha Genesis, their ‘baklaan’ brand of volleyball is starting to lead to a more relaxed team on the floor - and results followed.
“Minsan talaga like sa training, talagang nagba-baklaan lang kami,” Belen shared with SPIN.ph. “Siyempre, nandun pa rin naman ‘yung disiplina sa training, ‘yung performance sa training, pero kailangan din kasi minsan mag-enjoy eh.
“Minsan, pag masyado nang tense, mas nakakalimutan gawin nang maayos yung ginagawa sa training at sa games.”
That infectious energy, ranging from harmless staredowns to amusing post-point celebrations, has since been emulated by most of their teammates.
“I’m very happy kasi may kasama kong ganun sa team. Actually, hindi lang naman siya [Genesis], halos karamihan na rin sa team, halos kalahati na nga ng team, ganun na rin sila,” Belen said.
Some might see such behavior as unserious or childish, even, but Belen also stamping her signature charisma into her top-notch two-way game in Capital1 has begun working wonders for the erstwhile cellar dwellers.
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