BELLA Belen had long made peace with leaving National U a year early.
That is, it seems, until NU lost the crown it proudly wore on its head for two years.
After seeing the Lady Bulldogs' three-peat bid fall apart against La Salle in the UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball finals, the three-time MVP admitted that more than a few ‘what-ifs’ crept in.
“Siyempre natalo kami, so bigla akong napaisip na what if nag-one more year ako,” Belen said on a TikTok live on her personal page last Sunday evening.
While Belen skipped her final year of eligibility to turn pro, she still made it a point to stay closely involved with her alma mater throughout the season, attending practices and catching games live whenever her busy PVL schedule permitted.
But watching National U lose its grip on the title firsthand apparently made her realize just how fleeting the collegiate experience truly is.
In the same TikTok live alongside Buds Buddin, Belen openly urged her fellow champion Bulldog not to rush leaving college the way she did.
“Gamitin mo (last playing year mo), sayang. ‘Yan ang pagkakamaling ginawa ko. Sana nag-one more year na lang ako,” she admitted, as Buddin is currently weighing whether to maximize his own final year.
“Minsan lang ang UAAP. Once na mag-pro ka, hindi ka na makakabalik.”
Nationalian, through and through
Buddin then asked the question many NU fans had been wondering: did Belen believe the Lady Bulldogs were ready for life without her?
“Hindi, hindi talaga,” she answered with all honestly, true to her identity.
Despite those doubts, though, she ultimately trusted that the blue-and-gold would eventually figure things out on its own even without her and Alyssa Solomon.
“May tiwala ako sa kanila. Ready sila, pero iba pa rin kapag may gabay ng seniors and all. It’s about trust,” she said.
To be fair, that trust carried National U back to the finals. Only, it wasn't quite enough to keep the Lady Spikers from reclaiming the throne.
With the season officially over, the 'what-ifs' surrounding the now-Capital1 franchise player's early exit have re-emerged.
What if she stayed one more year? What if she was up front and center to stare down determined Angel Canino and the rest of La Salle's 'Batch 122?'
READ: Laput, La Salle come through after calling their shot before season start
For perhaps the first time since leaving Jhocson, even Belen herself allowed those thoughts to cross her mind - and those will move on to be some of Season 88’s biggest unanswered questions.
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