THAT contentious call didn’t just end a game, it may very well shape the rest of UAAP Season 88.
In a match that had all the makings of a finals face-off, National U saw its five-set stand against La Salle slip away on an eventful closing sequence - one that turned a coach’s challenge into a referee’s intervention, and ultimately, the Lady Spikers’ match-winning point.
READ: Block touch? Net touch? Why contentious call went La Salle's way vs NU
Right there at courtside was Lady Bulldogs legend Bella Belen - and from her view, the sting was real, but so was the clarity.
“Very crucial error talaga. Kita naman na yun, error. Walang luto or what. Error talaga nangyari,” Belen told SPIN.ph.
Still, she didn’t reduce the loss to a single moment - even if that moment carried all the questions that needed answers.
“Siyempre, malungkot for NU kasi they had that chance. Ilang points na lang, mananalo na si NU,” said Belen, pointing to how close the Lady Bulldogs were to sealing the deal on a transformative win of their own.
For the first-ever UAAP women's rookie-MVP, however, the match was decided long before that contentious call.
As she put it, “Before that pa kasi, nakita talaga na pinagtrabuhan din ng La Salle yung panalo nila.”
NU way to do things
That perspective matters even more now, with the loss pushing blue-and-gold into the stepladder format - a longer and more winding road towards a possible fifth straight Finals appearance.
But Belen has seen this story before. Although back then, from the opposite side.
Back in Season 84, it was the Lady Bulldogs who swept the eliminations and claimed an outright finals berth.
This time, though, NU will have go through a gauntlet before getting to challenge the Lady Spikers anew.
“Hindi naman ibig sabihin na tapos na yung campaign. As long na wala pang nakokoronahan na champion, tuloy pa rin yung laban,” she said.
The three-time champion and MVP pointed to this new-generation National U team's growth - not just within the game, but across the season.
“Nakita ko rin kung paano nag-grow yung NU, nakita ko yung fire ng bawat isa,” she said.
“Siguro, medyo kulang pa. Medyo mataas na yung level na pinapakita ng La Salle, so balik lang ulit si NU kung ano ba yung goal nila this season, kung ano ba yung pinaghuhugutan nila.”
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