MONTALBAN — NXLED weathered a Bella Belen-led surge to claim a 25-18, 28-26, 25-18 sweep of Capital1 in the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference on Thursday at Ynares Center II.
Fresh off a five-set escape over Farm Fresh, the Solar Spikers posed another stern test even in just three sets for a Chameleons side still ironing out its chemistry.
Capital1 kept Nxled within striking distance throughout, leaning on the shot-making of Belen to threaten a momentum shift in a tense second set.
But timely assists from a wave of Capital1 miscues made the difference as Nxled capitalized on more than 20 free points off errors, allowing Brooke Van Sickle & Co. to absorb every Belen-led push and close the door late.
“We are just in the beginning of the season. It’s only the second match and it’s a rollercoaster for everyone, but at the same time, we know that we have a big target on us and it’s a kind of hyper boost to play against us,” said Ettore Guidetti.
So far, so good for Nxled
Capital1 came out swinging with a 7–0 blitz that briefly jolted NXLED’s champion core before the Chameleons calmly flipped the script and turned that deficit into a 13–12 advantage.
From there, the MVP tandem of Brooke Van Sickle and Myla Pablo took control to wrest the opening set away.
Lyann de Guzman stayed hot the rest of the way, helping NXLED erase another strong Solar Spikers start in the second frame and punctuating her steady night with a 13-point outing.
The Chameleons reached set point first at 24–23 off a 4–1 run, but a pair of signature kills from Bella Belen pushed Capital1 to two set points it failed to convert.
Back-to-back Van Sickle finishes and an overreach call on Pauline Gaston sealed the crucial second canto for NXLED.
From there, it was all green as the Chameleons built as much as a seven-point cushion in the third set and closed the match for their first straight-sets win of the conference.
Van Sickle delivered a triple-double of 15 points, 12 digs, and 12 receptions, while Pablo matched her with 15 markers of her own.
MJ Phillips also made her presence felt at the net with four blocks as part of a 10-point night.
Sun sets on Solar Spikers
It was largely a one-woman show for Capital1. Belen detonated 23 points in the three-set loss, with Shaya Adorador adding 10 and newcomer Ezra Madrigal chipping in seven.
In the end, 21 unforced errors proved costly, spelling the difference as NXLED moved to two wins while handing Capital1 its first setback of the conference.
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