MANILA, Philippines — National University star Bella Belen won her third MVP in her final UAAP playing year while Adamson’s Shaina Nitura was the runaway Season 87 Rookie of the Year after a record-breaking debut.

Belen has joined an elite club as a three-time MVP winner along with the likes of Alyssa Valdez of Ateneo from Seasons 76 to 78 and Far Eastern University’s Monica Aleta from 2000 to 2002.

READ: UAAP: Degree earned, Bella Belen also has crown within her reach

The fourth-year Lady Bulldog garnered 96.23 Statistical Points, way ahead of runner-up Nitura, who had 74.26 SPs to become Adamson’s first Rookie of the Year in the women’s volleyball Final Four era.

Nitura set a new league-high in scoring with a total of 371 points in two rounds despite missing the Final Four with a 6-8 record.

The 20-year-old Lady Falcon landed sixth in aces with 0.24 per set, eighth in blocking with 0.46 per frame, and ninth in spiking with a 34.65 percent success rate.

Belen, the first-ever rookie MVP in the women’s division, finished fourth in scoring with 246 points while emerging as the most efficient attacker with a 37.76 percent success rate.

Belen was also on top of the service category with 30 total aces, averaging 0.57 per set. Defense remained part of her strength as she placed fifth in digging (2.79 per set) and third in reception (44.44 percent efficiency).

The 22-year-old Belen won her third MVP in four seasons after making history as UAAP women’s volleyball’s first-ever Rookie MVP in Season 84 and reclaiming the crown last year before winning their second title in Season 86.

READ: UAAP: Bella Belen downplays MVP talks, locks in on NU repeat bid

Now in her last dance, Belen looks to successfully defend NU’s throne when they look to sweep La Salle in Game 2 of the best-of-three finals on Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena.

Belen was one of the Best Outside Spikers of the season for the third time, garnering 381 ranking points (RP) with rival and fellow former rookie MVP Angel Canino, who won her second since Season 85 two years ago with 250 RP just five points ahead of Nitura (245).

Canino, the Season 85 MVP, ranked second in scoring with 264 points while placing fourth in spiking (35.78 percent success rate), ninth in blocking (0.45 per set), and seventh in reception (41.64 efficiency).

READ: UAAP Finals: NU a win away from title repeat, beats La Salle

Lams Lamina also won her second Best Setter award with 185 points after standing out in her position in Season 84.

Lamina bested UST’s Cassie Carballo, who had 177 RP, leading the setting category with a 5.34 average per set.

Finalist La Salle had three individual awardees, as Shevana Laput earned the Best Opposite Spiker with 275 points and Lyka De Leon won the Best Libero with 210 points

Laput and De Leon became La Salle’s first Best Opposite Spiker and Best Libero, respectively, since the league shifted to honor the players by position in 2019.

The 6-foot-2 Lady Spiker ranked second in spiking efficiency at 37.43 percent, second in service with 22 total aces and 0.40 per set, and fifth in blocks with a 0.51 average per frame.

De Leon edged two-time winner Detdet Pepito of UST, 210 to 202. The La Salle defensive specialist  topped the reception department with a 47.31 percent efficiency rate and ranked fourth in digs with 2.84 per set.

Amie Provido became the newest Best Middle Blocker after Thea Gagate as she finished with 179 points in her position. University of the Philippines star Niña Ytang earned her third straight Best Middle Blocker award with 166 points.

Provido and Ytang ranked second and third in blocking, respectively, with 30 total blocks apiece and averages of 0.55 and 0.54 per set.  University of the East’s Riza Nogales led the blocking department with 0.92 kill blocks per set, but she only finished third with 161 RP. The Best Middle Blockers Ytang outperformed her in the attacking and serving categories.