| Mhicaela Belen | |
| Full Name: | Mhicaela Santos Belen |
| Nickname: | Bella |
| Birth Date: | 29 June 2002 |
| Nationality: | Filipino |
| Hometown: | Quezon City, Philippines |
| Height: | 1.72 m |
| Weight: | 67 kg |
| Block: | 279 cm |
| Spike: | 270 cm |
| Position: | Outside hitter |
| College: | National University |
| Currentnumber: | 4 |
| Currentteam: | NU Lady Bulldogs |
| Nationalyears: | 2019– |
| Nationalteam: | Philippines |
| Medaltemplates-Expand: | yes |
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]
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]
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.
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.
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]
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.
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]
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]
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.
| Season | Tournament | Award | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | UAAP Season 80 (Junior's) | Most Valuable Player (Season) | [17] |
| Palarong Pambansa | Best Attacker | [18] | |
| 2019 | 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 | 2nd Best Outside Spiker | [21] | |
| 2023 SSL | 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 |
| Season | Tournament | Title | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 UAAP | 84 | Champions | [26] |
| 2022 SSL | Champions | [27] | |
| 2023 UAAP | Runner-Up | [28] | |
| 2023 SSL | Champions | ||
| 2024 UAAP | Champions | ||
| 2024 UNIGAMES | Champions | ||
| 2024 SSL | Champions | ||
| 2024 SSL | Champions |