ANNA DeBeer just authored one of the most dominant import campaigns the PVL has seen in recent years.
In the process, she became the driving force behind ZUS Coffee’s rise from perennial cellar dweller to first-time PVL finalist in a franchise-best Reinforced Conference run where they won seven of eight in the preliminaries and went two-for-two in the playoffs so far.
At only 24 and standing 5-foot-11, the second-youngest and second-shortest reinforcement this conference, DeBeer delivered a staggering 210 points in the group stage, averaging 26.25 points, before ramping that up to 27 per match in the Thunderbelles’ sweep of both the quarterfinals and semifinals.
READ: PVL FINALS: Will ZUS Coffee steal Petro Gazz' thunder?
She ranked second in spiking (39.40 percent), third in receiving (45.68 percent) and produced four 30-point explosions, cementing her status as one, or if not, the league’s most impactful imports this season.
Yet beneath all the statistical dominance is an itch she has long carried: the yearning to finally hold a championship trophy after multiple bridesmaid finishes in the NCAA with Louisville and most recently in Major League Volleyball (MLV) last May with Indy Ignite.
That hunger sharpened even more after enduring a posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) tear in 2022 and a major ankle injury in December 2023 that nearly derailed her momentum.
“There's always an itch. That's what we're chasing every day. Championship matches are just so fun to be part of,” DeBeer said.
“It’s just really cool to have another opportunit and I’m just really grateful to be able to play and be healthy.”
A personal subplot
Sunday’s PVL Finals matchup also carries a layer of redemption for DeBeer as she faces Petro Gazz's Lindsey Vander Weide, the same opposite who denied her the MLV crown five months ago.
In that title match, Vander Weide’s Orlando Valkyries beat DeBeer’s Indy Ignite in four sets, 25-21, 25-19, 19-25, 25-15, with LVW firing 15 points on nine attacks, five blocks, and an ace.
DeBeer, meanwhile, finished with just three points in two sets.
“I'm excited to get back on the court against her. It'll be a long [MLV] season after this, so we'll definitely be in touch,” she said.
But for all the personal stakes, DeBeer believes ZUS Coffee’s strength lies in something deeper than star power as the collective hunger of her young team enabled them to defy their own ceiling at every turn.
“This team is so gritty and so competitive, and I really do think we want it more because you could just tell how much it means to the girls,” she said.
“Seeing their emotions after and seeing how cool it is just to make the semifinals, but we know we're not done yet.
"At the end of the day, it's who wants it more.”
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