CANDON CITY — Star power delivered as Team Heart proved as good as advertised, outlasting Team Passion, 25-18, 18-25, 25-23 25-17, in the 2026 PVL All-Star Game on Friday at a packed Candon City Arena.
A blistering 11-1 surge to open the fourth set created all the cushion Team Heart needed to break the game wide open in this first-ever showdown of the league’s elite.
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Behind a loaded lineup bannered by Bella Belen, Vanie Gandler, Alyssa Valdez, and Jema Galanza, Team Heart not only claimed bragging rights but also pocketed the P100,000 winner's prize.
Belen claimed All-Star Game MVP honors, as the newly-minted best rookie of the All-Filipino Conference now has another MVP award to her growing collection.
“Memorable para sa’min itong first All-Star and very fortunate na ‘yung grupong napunta sa’kin, very talented,” said Team Power head coach Rald Ricafort.
“Sabi ko sa kanila, ‘wag ma-pressure and i-cherish lang ‘yung time na magkakasama sila.”
The first two sets were a mix of fireworks and fun, with star players trading big hits alongside lighthearted moments, from playful on-court banter to liberos taking swings, all to the delight of a roaring Candon crowd.
The tone shifted in Set 3, turning into a tight, competitive finish as Belen caught fire to swing momentum back, before the fourth set became firmly Team Heart’s to take.
But once the final set already looked decided, a few unusual yet entertaining twists and turns unfolded, from Belen taking on linesman duties to volunteers and officials playing in the match itself.
Altogether, it served as a fitting culmination of a spectacle and celebration of volleyball in an emerging local sporting hotbed up north.
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