Mhicaela Belen

Mhicaela Belen
Personal information
Full nameMhicaela Santos Belen
NicknameBella
NationalityFilipino
Born (2002-06-29) June 29, 2002 (age 22)
HometownQuezon City, Philippines
Height1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight67 kg (148 lb)
Spike270 cm (106 in)
Block279 cm (110 in)
College / UniversityNational University
Volleyball information
PositionOutside hitter
Current teamPhilippines NU Lady Bulldogs
Number4
National team
2019–Philippines
Honours
Women's volleyball
Representing  Philippines
SEA V.League
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Vĩnh Phúc Leg 1
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Nakhon Ratchasima Leg 2
ASEAN School Games
Silver medal – second place 2019 Semarang Team

Mhicaela Santos Belen (born June 29, 2002), better known as Bella Belen is a Filipino volleyball player. She is currently playing as an outside hitter for Alas Pilipinas, as well as for the NU Lady Bulldogs in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) women's volleyball tournaments. [1]

Personal life

Belen studied high school at the Nazareth School of National University.[2] She is currently taking a Psychology degree at the National University.

She also has a younger sister named Ghenievib, who is a current member of NSNU Bullpups, as well as the national U18 team. Her sister plays libero just like she did.[3]

Volleyball career

Elementary

Bella previously studied and started her volleyball career at Lucas R. Pascual Memorial Elementary School in Quezon City where she met and became teammates with UST Golden Tigresses captain and libero Bernadett Pepito. Belen previously played as a libero, while the latter were a spiker.

High School

UAAP

Belen was a member of NSNU Bullpups, National University' s girls high school volleyball team. In 2018, she won Most Valuable Player (Conference) in the UAAP Season 80 girls' volleyball tournaments and her team also won in that year, achieving a 4-peat championship.

A hope for a 5-peat championship in the UAAP Girls' volleyball tournament were destroyed after they lost to DLSZ Junior Archers in the UAAP Season 81 girls' volleyball tournaments finals. [4]

In 2020, she won Most Valuable Player (Conference) and 1st Best Outside Spiker in the UAAP Season 82 girls' volleyball tournaments where they reclaimed the crown back in the girls' division.

Palarong Pambansa

Bella played for the Nazareth School of National University and represented Luzon in the Palarong Pambansa in 2019. They eventually won the championship against Western Visayas representative, Bacolod Tay Tung High School. She won the Best Attacker award of the league. [5]

PVL

In 2018, as PVL was still a semi-professional league, Belen played for the BaliPure Purest Water Defenders as a Guest Player together with fellow NUNS Bullpups teammates such as Solomon and Nierva where they placed 6th in the 2018 PVL Reinforced Conference.

ASEAN School Games

Belen played for the Nazareth School of National University and represented the Philippines in the ASEAN School Games in 2019, where they finished silver against Thailand.[6]

College and International Seniors' Stint

2021 Asian Women's Club Volleyball Championship

In 2021, she debuted in the Philippines women's national volleyball team as she got called to represent Philippines to play for Rebisco Philippines in the Asian Women's Club Volleyball Championship where they placed last.[7][8]

UAAP

In 2022, she continues her volleyball career in NU Lady Bulldogs, the collegiate women's volleyball team of National University. In that year, she made history as the first woman to won Best Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in the UAAP on the same year.[9] In addition, she made a record as she scored eight service aces, the most services aces in a match in the UAAP womens' division, against UP to tie Dzi Gervacio's eight in Ateneo's win coincidentally also against UP in UAAP Season 75 volleyball tournaments in 2013. [10]

Her team, the NU Lady Bulldogs also won the title in the UAAP Season 84 women's volleyball tournament after 65 years of title drought with a perfect 16-0 season sweep.[11][12]

Belen and her teammates tried to defend their championship title, but settled for a runner-up finish in the UAAP Season 85 women's volleyball tournament, where they bowed to the De La Salle Lady Spikers in the finals. [13]

In 2024, she led her team to reclaim the title in the UAAP Season 86 Women's volleyball team after they swept the UST Golden Tigresses in a Finals Series. [14] She also reclaimed the Most Valuable Player and 1st Best Outside Hitter awards in the same season, making her a Two-time UAAP MVP. [15] [16]

Belen belongs to the prestigious list of female volleyball players to only hold multiple Most Valuable Player awards in the UAAP Women's Division, together with the likes of Alyssa Valdez and Aby Maraño. She is currently the youngest to won more than one.

Clubs

Awards

Individual

Season Tournament Award Ref
2018 UAAP Season 80 (Junior's) Most Valuable Player (Season) [17]
2019 Palarong Pambansa Best Attacker [18]
2019 NCR Palaro Best Attacker
2020 UAAP Season 82 (Junior's) Most Valuable Player (Season) [19]
1st Best Outside Spiker
2022 UAAP Season 84 (Women's) Most valuable player (Season) [20]
Rookie of the Year
1st Best Outside Spiker
2022 SSL Pre-Season 2nd Best Outside Spiker [21]
2023 SSL Pre-Season 1st Best Outside Spiker [22]
2024 UAAP Season 86 (Women's) Most Valuable Player (Season) [23]
1st Best Outside Spiker
2024 SSL National Invitationals Most Valuable Player (Season) [24]
1st Best Outside Spiker
2024 SSL Pre-Season Most Valuable Player (Season) [25]
1st Best Outside Spiker

Highschool

Collegiate

Season Tournament Title Ref
2022 UAAP 84 Champions [26]
2022 SSL Collegiate Pre-Season Champions [27]
2023 UAAP 85 Runner-Up [28]
2023 SSL Collegiate Pre-Season Champions
2024 UAAP 86 Champions
2024 UNIGAMES Collegiate Pre-Season Champions
2024 SSL National Invitationals Champions
2024 SSL Collegiate Pre-Season Champions

References

  1. ^ Agcaoili, Lance (June 21, 2022). "Still more to come from Bella Belen; NU Lady Bulldogs after historic night". Inquirer Sports. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  2. ^ "Mhicaela Belen took exams in 2021 asian club stint". Rappler. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  3. ^ Garcia, John Mark (May 17, 2024). "MVP Bella Belen honors her 'batallion' of supportive family members". Spin.ph. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  4. ^ Lozada, Mei Lin (December 9, 2018). "De La Salle-Zobel ends NU's four-year reign in UAAP girls' volleyball". Spin.ph. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  5. ^ "NCR muling nagreyna sa Palarong pambansa volleyball". ABS-CBN. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  6. ^ "NU Bullpups nips silver in 2019 asean school games". Inquirer.net. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  7. ^ "Belen shines as young Rebisco handed tough loss by altay". Tiebreaker times. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  8. ^ BWorld, Online (October 5, 2021). "Choco Mucho and Rebisco in Asian Women's Club". Business World. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  9. ^ Ulanday, John Bryan (June 21, 2021). "NU's Belen first ever Rookie Year-MVP UAAP women's volleyball". Inquirer Sports. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  10. ^ "Bella Belen nails eight aces as NU rips UP to secure No. 1 seed". Spin.ph. June 4, 2022. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  11. ^ "NU Lady Bulldogs end 65 years drought sweeps UAAP". Tiebreaker times. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  12. ^ News.com, Inquirer Staff (June 5, 2022). "NU formally books no. 1 spot with Bella Belen adding a dash of history in win". Inquirer Sports. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  13. ^ Demigillo, Kiko (May 24, 2023). "Bella Belen gets creative in essay after Season 85 heartbreak". One Sports. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  14. ^ Demigillo, Kiko (May 15, 2024). "UAAP: Alyssa Solomon, Bella Belen deliver NU's second title in 3 years after outlasting UST in Game 2". One Sports. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  15. ^ Demigillo, Kiko (May 15, 2024). "UAAP: Bella Belen outlasts Angge Poyos and Vange Alinsug to win Season 86 MVP". One Sports. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  16. ^ Isaga, JR (May 15, 2024). "Two-time UAAP Bella Belen dedicates 2nd title to early NU doubters". Rappler. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  17. ^ Escarlote, Mark (December 1, 2017). "UAAP volleyball: Belen wins MVP in girls division, Calado bags top individual award in boys". ABS-CBN Sports. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  18. ^ "NCR muling nagreyna sa Palarong pambansa volleyball". ABS-CBN. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  19. ^ "UAAP 82: NU reigns supreme in girls' volleyball". ABS-CBN Sports. November 17, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  20. ^ Agcaoili, Lance (June 2022). "UAAP Volleyball: Eya Laure Best Scorer, Bella Belen makes case for Rookie-MVP". Inquirer Sports. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  21. ^ Agcaoili, Lance (November 19, 2022). "NU's Alyssa Solomon wins Super League MVP". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  22. ^ Villanueva, Ralph Edwin (November 11, 2023). "Lady Bulldogs edge Tigresses to rule Shakey's Super League tilt anew". Philstar.com. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  23. ^ "Belen wins UAAP MVP for the second time; Poyos wins ROY honors". Spin.ph. November 17, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  24. ^ "NU's Mhicaela Belen named Shakey's SL MVP". FASTBREAK.COM.PH. July 16, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  25. ^ "Bella Belen, NU stay hungry ahead of UAAP title defense". Inquirer.net. November 25, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  26. ^ Reyes, Mark Anthony (June 22, 2022). "NU Lady Bulldogs sweep season to end 65 years drought for UAAP volleyball title". Inquirer Sports. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  27. ^ "Dominant NU blanks DLSU, wins Shakey's Super League". Rappler. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  28. ^ Valencia, Justin (May 14, 2023). "La Salle storms back, completes revenge on NU for UAAP 85 crown". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved May 14, 2023.