Bryan Bagunas, Bella Belen named Mr. and Ms. Volleyball by SMC-PSA Awards 

Philippine volleyball takes center stage at the San Miguel Corporation–Philippine Sportswriters Association (SMC-PSA) Awards Night as Bryan Bagunas and Bella Belen are set to be recognized as Mr. and Ms. Volleyball, underscoring a year where both stars carried the sport to new heights locally and internationally.

Scheduled on February 16 at the Diamond Hotel Manila, the annual gala will once again gather the country’s sporting elite, with Bagunas and Belen joining a distinguished roll of honorees for 2025 led by Athletes of the Year Carlos Yulo and Alex Eala.

The event is supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, MILO, Cignal, PVL, PBA, Akari, Rain or Shine, Capital1 Solar Energy, and Acrocity.

For Bagunas, the award reflects a year defined by historic firsts. The 28-year-old opposite hitter from Balayan, Batangas was at the forefront of Alas Pilipinas’ breakthrough appearance in the FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship, hosted by the Philippines for the first time. 

That campaign included a landmark victory over world No. 21 Egypt — the national team’s first-ever win on the world stage — and a heart-stopping five-set loss to No. 14 Iran that showcased how close the Filipinos were to crashing the Final 16.

Bagunas later anchored the squad to a bronze medal finish in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, cementing his role as the face of the men’s program.

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Bryan Bagunas and Bella Belen will be feted as Mr. and Ms. Volleyball during the SMC-PSA Awards Night set on Feb. 16 at the Diamond Hotel.@tribunephl @TribuneSportsPh pic.twitter.com/EFfxDOcfMT

— Mark Escarlote (@fromtheriles) January 18, 2026

On the women’s side, Belen’s recognition crowns a dominant closing chapter in her collegiate career. The 23-year-old outside hitter powered National University to back-to-back UAAP women’s volleyball championships, punctuating her final season with another MVP honor — her third overall. 

NU later retired her iconic No. 4 jersey, making Belen the first athlete in school history to receive such a distinction, a testament to her lasting impact on the Lady Bulldogs’ dynasty.

Belen’s influence extended beyond the UAAP. Selected first overall by Capital1 in the 2025 PVL Rookie Draft, she also played a vital role for Alas Pilipinas in the AVC Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup, where the national team claimed silver in Hanoi — its best finish in the tournament and an improvement from the bronze medal haul the year before.

Together, Bagunas and Belen represent two parallel stories of leadership and progress — one pushing Philippine men’s volleyball onto the global map, the other redefining sustained excellence in the women’s game. 

Their honors at the SMC-PSA Awards Night serve not just as personal milestones, but as markers of how far Philippine volleyball has come in a single, remarkable year.

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