Top-seeded teams NU and FEU leaned heavily on veterans Bella Belen and Ariel Cacao, respectively, in the last stretch of the elimination round.
Count on the leaders of the top-seeded teams in the NU Lady Bulldogs and the FEU Tamaraws to make it count when it matters most as Bella Belen and Ariel Cacao each led their respective squads to big wins to close out the elimination round in UAAP Season 87.
For their respective contributions for the league-leading teams in the women’s and men’s division of the tournament, Belen and Cacao are named the Collegiate Press Corps’ UAAP Players of the Week for the period of April 23 to 27.
As the action resumed after the Holy Week break, Belen and Cacao hardly missed a beat for the Lady Bulldogs and Tamaraws, respectively, each turning in a 1-0 week to head into the Final Four with tons of momentum for both squads.
MVP frontrunner Belen, for her part, unleashed another triple-double when she paced NU against long-time rivals UST with 26 points, 17 excellent digs, and 13 excellent receptions as they extended their head-to-head streak against the España squad to five games.
[READ:
NU fights off UST in 5 sets as Golden Tigresses miss outright UAAP Final Four bonus]
Despite her consistent performances for the team, who are heading into the semis with a 12-2 slate, Belen believes there is much more to work on, especially as the going gets tougher even with their twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four.
“Siguro po, personally, masasabi ko hindi pa masyado [ako nasa top form]. Like, paunti-unti, kasi ganoon naman talaga kahit sino sa amin. Kumbaga, kailangan, kada game, nag-i-improve kami kahit kaunti, lalo na’t papasok na po sa Final Four,” she said.
Belen, who finished with five triple-doubles this elimination round, edged out teammate Lams Lamina, FEU’s Gerz Petallo, La Salle’s Angel Canino, UST’s Angge Poyos, and back-to-back Player of the Week winner Shaina Nitura for the weekly plum deliberated by scribes from print and online covering the league.
Meanwhile, FEU setter Cacao proved pivotal in the Tamaraws’ four-set victory over the DLSU Green Spikers to finish the elimination round with a 13-1 record — with just a loss against five-peat seeking NU marring their campaign so far.
The veteran setter tossed 29 excellent sets in just four frames to edge out La Salle in a Final Four preview of their matchup beginning this weekend.
Cacao beat out fellow Tamaraw Dryx Saavedra, NU’s Jade Disquitado, UST’s Josh Ybañez, and La Salle’s Noel Kampton for the plum.
Both Belen and Cacao return to action for their respective teams later this week as the Final Four officially commences over the weekend. NU and FEU will hold twice-to-beat advantage over their respective opponents.
NU faces off with the FEU Lady Tamaraws while the FEU men’s team locks horns with the Green Spikers anew.