La Salle's Angel Canino and NU's Bella Belen, the only winners of the UAAP Rookie of the Year - MVP Awards in the seniors volleyball division, showed mutual respect and admiration to each other.
Speaking to the media after receiving the Collegiate Press Corps UAAP Volleyball Player of the Year Awards at The Hummingbird Rooftop Bar on Monday, May 29, the wing spikers had nothing but good things to say to each other.
"I'm honored and proud that she was the ROTY-MVP that I succeeded," said Canino.
"I was an audience too during Season 84 and seeing Ate Belen play inspired me. We were teammates in ASEAN (School Games in 2019) and I saw her hard work there and it continued and paid off in the UAAP. I'm really proud of her," added Canino, who was standing next to Belen during the interview.
Canino received the UAAP Volleyball Player of the Year Award for 2023 for leading the Lady Spikers to the UAAP Season 85 championship at the expense of Belen's Bulldogs.
Belen, on the other hand, took the Volleyball Player of the Year plum for 2022, for leading NU to a 16-0 sweep that culminated in a 2-0 sweep of La Salle in Season 84.
Canino and Belen both did those feats in their respective rookie years.
Belen, who jokingly played down Canino's praises of her, returned the favor.
"I'm also very proud of Canino because all throughout the season we saw how good she was. Say for example, Game Two of the Finals when we were ahead but still lost charot (just kidding)," said Belen.
"We really how good she played. We were teammates during the ASEAN and since then, I knew she's going to make her mark."
LOOK: The only rookie-MVPs of UAAP women’s volleyball - Bella Belen and Angel Canino #UAAPSeason85 pic.twitter.com/FBSFxMmblb
— Karl Cedrick Basco (@cedrickkbasco) May 14, 2023