BELLA Belen is on pace for a second straight UAAP MVP award - and a third overall - as she took control of the statistical race at the end of the first round of the Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament
If she keeps this lead to the finish, Belen will become the first player to defend the top individual plum since Ateneo great Alyssa Valdez completed a rare MVP hat-trick in Seasons 76 to 78 from 2014 to 2016.
READ: Shaina Nitura falls prey to UAAP scoring record curse
Even as the National U ace only ranked seventh in scoring with 107 points (15.29 per game), her all-around defensive game gave her a leg up on her nearest rivals.
The two-time MVP was the highest-ranked non-libero in digging — sixth overall — with 2.60 digs per game. She then followed ffellow ace winger in La Salle’s Angel Canino as the second-ranked spiker in receptions at fifth overall with a 33.58 percent efficiency rate.
With that, Belen surged to the front of the MVP race with 159.6 statistical points (SPs).
The Lady Bulldogs' skipper, however, is just two points ahead of resurgent La Salle opposite hitter Shevana Laput (157.692 SPs).
Still within striking distance to two two are Adamson captain and league-leading rookie Shaina Nitura (145.556 SPs), La Salle skipper Canino (141.538 SPs), National U wingers Vange Alinsug (130 SPs) and Alyssa Solomon (126 SPSs), and University of Santo Tomas spikers Angge Poyos (120.345 SPs) and Reg Jurado (113.103 SPs).
Belen, Laput lead way in positional awards
With a different scoring metric for the positional awards, Belen still leads the best outside spiker race with 303 positional points (PPs) ahead of Canino (267 PPs), Nitura (252 PPs), Alinsug (240 PPs), and Poyos (217 PPs).
Laput (274 PPs) has a sizable lead in the best opposite hitter race with reigning winner Solomon in second (215 PPs). Also in the running are Jurado (185 PPs), UE’s Van Bangayan (141 PPs), and Far Eastern University’s Faida Bakanke (140 PPs).
La Salle’s Lilay del Castillo is the tournament’s leading middle blocker (181 PPs), ahead of Ateneo’s AC Miner (171 PPs), UE’s Riza Nogales (160 PPs), teammate Amie Provido (158 PPs), and another Blue Eagle in Yvana Sulit (139 PPs).
FEU playmaker Tin Ubaldo (192 PPs) is on track for her first best setter award after Round 1, surpassing former award winners in NU’s Lams Lamina (173 PPs) and UST’s Cassie Carballo (164 PPs). Rounding out the top five are La Salle rookie Mikole Reyes (148 PPs) and UE’s Tin Ecalla (145 PPs).
National U is also ahead with Shaira Jardio (205 PPs) for best libero, followed by Adamson’s Juris Manuel (197 PPs), reigning two-time winner in UST captain Detdet Pepito (189 PPs), La Salle’s Lyka de Leon (185 PPs), and UE’s Angelica Reyes (182 PPs).
Batas rules men’s statistical race
Over in the men’s game, Ateneo’s third-year opposite spiker Kennedy Batas stands as the current MVP frontrunner with 160.370 SPs.
Following Batas’ trail are UST rookie JJ Macam (148.750 SPs), FEU’s Mikko Espartero (147.917), La Salle’s Noel Kampton (145.000), and UST’s Popoy Colinares (140.833).
Batas also took charge among opposite spikers with 230 PPs ahead of FEU’s Dryx Saavedra (175 PPs), UST’s Jay Rack Dela Noche (158 PPs), Adamson’s Jude Aguilar (142 PPs), and NU’s Leo Ordiales (132 PPs).
UST’s trio of Golden Spikers lead the league among outside spikers in Macam (281 PPs), middle blockers in Colinares (245 PPs) and setters in Dux Yambao (196 PPs).
La Salle senior Nard Guerrero tops the best libero race with 210 PPs.
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