UNDER the brightest lights of college volleyball, Bella Belen and Detdet Pepito took center stage in leading National University and University of Santo Tomas’ brigades in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament.
The feisty captains, who also happens to be the best of friends off the taraflex, have reached the highest of highs in this relatively early stage of their promising volleyball careers.
Not only have they known each other at a very young age, but their paths to UAAP stardom have been rather identical.
READ: National U stays perfect after besting UST in five sets
In fact, not known to many is how they were once under the tutelage of the same coach in their elementary school days when they were still playing different positions.
Setter Belen and spiker Pepito first learned the ropes of volleyball at the Lucas R. Pascual Elementary School in Quezon City under coach Henry Fernandez.
For every win, award and championship they had and will still have, Belen and Pepito shared to SPIN.ph how they’ll always owe their successes to their beloved ‘kuya Henry.’
“Si kuya Henry, grabe yung tiyaga talaga niyan sa players, lalo na yung mga zero percent skills na player. Simula nu’ng Grade 1 ako, nauna kasi ako kay Belen, talagang tinutukan na ako ni kuya Henry. Grabe talaga yung mga experiences namin sa kanya,” Pepito said.
Belen added: “Parang wala nang bukas (yung trainings namin). Gusto niyang natututo talaga kami every training. Siya yung coach na hindi sobrang strict, hindi sobrang maluwag, sakto lang siya.
“The way niya kami i-train, (nakabase siya sa) kung ano yung alam niyang kaya naming gawin, kung ano yung pwedeng makatulong sa’min sa career namin. I’m very thankful na siya yung naging coach at trainor ko nung elementary kasi mahirap yung mga trainings namin.”
From the bottom to the top
Belen’s Lady Bulldogs and Pepito’s Golden Tigresses are now two of college volleyball’s perennial benchmarks.
But once upon a time, they were nowhere near their formidable statures.
What kuya Henry taught the affable duo is to always stand tall — small as they may be — in the face of adversity and to always play and fight with heart.
“Mahirap yung pinagdaanan namin ni Detdet nung elementary kami kasi marami kaming kalaban. Hindi kami powerhouse school nu’ng elementary. Lagi kaming natatalo pagdating sa division meet. Lagi naming kalaban yung Diosdado (P. Macapagal Elementary School),” Belen said.
“Thankful lang ako kasi kahit natatalo kami, si kuya Henry, hindi siya nagsasawang i-remind kami and i-train kami to be better.”
And so they know that neither one of them would even be among Philippine volleyball’s brightest stars if they didn’t go through the eye of a needle under kuya Henry’s watch.
“Wala talaga kami dito sa posisyon namin kung hindi dahil kay kuya Henry. Siya talaga yung nagturo sa’min mag-volleyball at nag-push sa’min sa ganitong sitwasyon," Pepito said.
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