For the longest time, Detdet Pepito and Bella Belen stood at the forefront of University of Santo Tomas and National University’s campaigns across their decorated UAAP careers.
Pepito may not have tasted championship glory during her stint with the Golden Tigresses, but she still walked away from the UAAP taraflex as one of the league’s most decorated defensive anchors, collecting six Best Libero awards and multiple Final Four appearances in her 11-year stay with UST.
Belen, meanwhile, etched her name as arguably the greatest Lady Bulldog in school history, finishing with eight championships and five MVP awards across a decade of dominance with NU.
Now, what once seemed like a far-fetched possibility of reuniting on the taraflex became reality on Wednesday evening at Novotel Manila, as Pepito was selected by Belen’s Capital1 as the second overall pick of the 2026 Premier Volleyball League Draft.
“Ngayong nandito ako sa PVL, siya yung ka-teammate ko and si Pia Abbu. Sobrang happy lang and excited ako na mas may matutunan din sa kanila,” the 23-year-old libero told reporters.
(C) PVL Images
Not many know that Belen and Pepito actually began their volleyball journeys at the same elementary school, Lucas R. Pascual Elementary School in Quezon City, under coach Henry Fernandez.
There, Belen was deployed as a setter while Pepito was a spiker—before both eventually became the “heart and soul” of their respective UAAP programs with NU and UST.
The long-awaited dream of reaching the pinnacle of Philippine professional volleyball has finally materialized for Pepito. But the sweetest part isn’t just earning a spot in a win-now Solar Spikers roster; it’s looking across the net and seeing Belen—her longtime best friend—chasing the same goal beside her.
“Habang papunta nga ako sa red carpet, tinitingnan ko siya. Nagto-throwback lang yung teammates kami since elementary,” Pepito shared.
“Actually, mixed emotions, pero sobrang grateful and thankful lang talaga ako kay Lord na pinapangarap ko lang makapasok dito sa PVL and now, number two pick. Pressured, pero thankful pa rin talaga kay Lord, and I will try my best to help Capital1,” she added.
While her familiarity and chemistry with Belen are already there, Pepito acknowledged that for Capital1 to immediately succeed in a highly competitive nine-team field, she must quickly gel with the Solar Spikers’ new off-season acquisitions.
Beyond securing Pepito, Capital1 also added the MVP tandem of Vanie Gandler and Erika Santos from the now-defunct Cignal squad, while also drafting former University of the East standout Khy Cepada with the ninth overall pick.
“I think slowly muna na siyempre yung chemistry ng bago kong team and yung system na meron sila, kailangan ma-adapt ko muna. Mangangarap kami siyempre, hopefully sa amin din mapunta yung championship.“
