Doubters kept triumphant Lady Bulldogs going

MANILA, Philippines -- Bella Belen and the National University Lady Bulldogs are happy that they were able to shut the doubters down as they lifted their second championship in three years.

After a championship two seasons ago, the Sampaloc-based squad had a runner-up finish against the La Salle Lady Spikers last year.

This time around, the Lady Bulldogs were able to reclaim the title at the expense of the University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses.

Belen said that after an early loss against the Golden Tigresses in their first game of the season, and a late loss against the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws, there were a lot of people who did not believe in them any longer.

"I am proud of this team, because we had losses this season. There were a lot of people who stopped believing in us, especially our first loss against UST," an emotional Belen told reporters in Filipino.

"There were a lot of people who doubted us and said we cannot go back to the finals any longer. But, we showed them that we still can," she added.

"We're still NU, we still can. Even though we lost and there were a lot of people who doubted, we are still whole and we fight together."

The Lady Bulldogs, led by the season Most Valuable Player Belen, needed just two games to secure their title.

In the gold-clinching Game 2, Belen showed her all-around prowess with 19 points, 11 excellent digs and nine excellent receptions.

Eventual Finals MVP Alyssa Solomon produced 27 points, while Vange Alinsug and Sheena Toring provided ample support with 13 and 10.

"That's what I told the team, we just needed to play as one and no one will be able to beat us because every one of us wants to win. And that is what I saw throughout the season," Belen added.