MANILA – It may be a tougher road compared to their perfect run last season, but reigning MVP Bella Belen is looking at the bright side ahead of the UAAP Season 85 women’s volleyball finals.

After clinching a Finals berth last Wednesday, Belen admitted that it was a lot more difficult for the defending champions National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs to reach the championship this year.

In Season 84, NU swept the entire tournament with a perfect 16-0 run to win the crown. But this year, they had a rough start including numerous five-set matches and ultimately, three losses along the road.

The Lady Bulldogs saw their 20-game winning streak ended at the hands of the UST Tigresses in the first round before losing back-to-back to the league-leader De La Salle Lady Spikers that put them in an unfamiliar situation.

But after two straight-set defeats from the eventual finalists Lady Spikers, NU appeared to have regained their old lethal form as they went on to win seven straight games including their Final Four matchup against the no. 3 Adamson Lady Falcons.

“Hindi siya naging madali like last season. Yung feeling po na natalo kami, dadalhin namin hanggang finals na ayaw na namin yung ganong feeling. Yung down kami after natalo. Pangit sa feeling,” said Belen, who tallied 29 big points in the four-set win vs the Lady Falcons.

As they entered the Finals series as the underdogs, Belen is taking their pains from their losses, especially against La Salle, to get revenge in the most important part of the tournament.

“Thankful kami na nangyari yun before palang. Kasi dun palang naramdaman na namin kung gaano siya kasakit. Ayaw na namin siya ma-feel. Pagtatrabahuhan namin lahat,” she continued.

• UAAP: NU sets up title rematch vs La Salle, eliminates Adamson

Alyssa Solomon also added that their stumbles in the elimination round taught them to bounce back and stay composed, which will be beneficial when they face the tall La Salle squad on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum for Game 1 of the best-of-three Finals series.

“Yung mga talo namin, na-ready na kami kung paano bumawi. Kung paano maging compose. Kung paano i-execute yung mga dapat i-execute sa mga laro,” Solomon said.

UAAP Season 85 is streaming on iWantTFC every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, available for Premium users outside the Philippines.