Capital1 coach Roger Gorayeb during the PVL draft combine.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Coach Roger Gorayeb believes three-time UAAP MVP Bella Belen is the “perfect fit” for Capital1, which holds the rights to the first overall pick in the PVL Rookie Draft on June 8.
The veteran tactician was in attendance for Day 2 of the draft combine where Belen showed up and sealed her spot among the 60 hopefuls making up a stacked rookie class.
READ: PVL: Bella Belen, consensus top pick, to push through with rookie draft
Capital1 coach Roger Gorayeb, who holds the No.1 pick, believes Bella Belen is the perfect fit for their young team.
But he emphasized that nothing is final yet as he oversees the final day of the #PVLDraft2025 combine. @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/zGEu7Df7Ps
— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) May 31, 2025
“I don’t want to make any final statements right now. But yes, she’s definitely on our top list. It’s hard to say anything definite, but if I were to pick, I’m going with Belen.”
“We really need her kind of playing style. She’d fit perfectly with our team. You know we’re trying to build a stronger lineup, so we want to use our first pick on someone really good. If we’re going by our standards, it’s her. If you look at the UAAP alone, Belen is the one who truly fits what we’re building.”
Belen won’t rest on her laurels despite being projected as the top overall pick.
And if she ends up with the Solar Spikers, she is looking forward to be coached by Gorayeb, who handled the top volleyball stars and league MVPs in Alyssa Valdez, Myla Pablo, and Jaja Santiago.
“If I do end up playing for him, I’m really excited. So many great players have trained under Coach Roger like Ate Alyssa, and others from Ateneo, like Ate Denden [Lazaro-Revilla]. There are a lot,” said Belen in Filipino. “I know I’ll learn a lot from him. Actually, with any coach in the PVL, I’m sure I’ll grow a lot. They’re all skilled and experienced, so there’s so much to gain from working with them.”
READ: PVL: Picking first, Capital1 eyes Bella Belen in rookie draft
“I’m probably hungrier to learn compared to some players on other teams. Every team has a different system. Playing in the pros is different from the UAAP. Of course, I’ll need to adjust and adapt, too. But I’m very excited about everything I can still learn as a pro,” she added.
The 22-year-old Belen offers her work ethic and winning pedigree during his time with NU, where she had a successful 11-year career from high school to college.
“I think what I really bring is my hard work. No matter which team I end up on, I’ll give my best to help the team and do whatever I can to win games.
That’s what I can truly offer. I won’t leave that behind in NU because that’s what got me through my time there. It’ll be the same foundation I’ll bring with me to the pros,” she said. “We’re fighters, everyone from NU is. No matter where we go or who we’re up against, we’ll never back down from representing and defending our team.”
Gorayeb is also eyeing a middle blocker as he marveled at this talent-rich draft class.
PVL: Bella Belen leads stacked rookie draft class
“There are many options, but we’re still evaluating everyone. The players from FEU are really good, and there are others who have come to me, the kids who show promise. What I really look for are hardworking, driven players. Sometimes, if you go straight for the most popular or best ones, they’re harder to deal with lots of agents involved, and it gets complicated,” said Gorayeb. “We’ve also already released some of our current middles—those who just weren’t the right fit. So I really need one more middle. The rest of the pieces are already there.”
“It’s all about the right balance. If I grab every good player I see, I’ll just hurt the team in the end. Someone might lose confidence and wonder, “I’m doing well, so why am I not being used?” I don’t want that. I want a team that’s perfectly balanced.”
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In last year’s draft, Gorayeb picked up the right pieces by drafting Leila Cruz as the second overall pick and getting a steal in the second round with libero Roma Mae Doromal.
The star rookies with Russian import Marina Tushova led the Solar Spikers to the franchise’s first-ever playoff appearance in the 2024 Reinforced Conference before falling short to Cignal in a knockout quarterfinal despite the league record of 50 points by Tushova.
