National University (NU) team captain Bella Belen admitted she was stunned by their shocking five-set loss to the lower-seeded University of the Philippines in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament on Wednesday.

NU, which had been undefeated in eight games, saw its perfect run end at the hands of the Fighting Maroons, 24-26, 25-23, 25-17, 23-25, 12-15, marking its first league loss since 4 May 2024 in last season’s Final Four against Far Eastern University.

“It hurts and it’s sad because we talked about how we shouldn’t lose like this, just like that,” said Belen, who scored her second triple-double this season with 21 points, 13 digs, and 12 receptions.

“We should have fought harder because I felt like we could do it. We could have won.”

Despite the loss, Belen remains optimistic about their standing as they still lead the tournament with an 8-1 record.

“Other teams who have lost multiple games are still happy. We should stay positive because we are still in a good position, 8-1, rank one,” Belen pointed out.

“It wasn’t a terrible game because we still pushed it to five sets. We have to look at the positives and focus on securing the twice-to-beat advantage. The next games are really important.”

With no team capable of sweeping the elimination round, the tournament will follow the traditional Final Four format, giving the top two teams a crucial twice-to-beat incentive.