FOUR of the 12 imports in this year’s PVL Reinforced Conference hail from one place in the same league from the same country.
And their simultaneous arrival was no accident. All four reached the playoffs, and three pushed through to the semifinals.
ZUS Coffee’s Anna DeBeer, Creamline’s Courtney Schwan, Petro Gazz’s Lindsey Vander Weide, and PLDT’s Anastasiia Bavykina all came from Major League Volleyball (MLV) in the U.S.
Vander Weide and Schwan are champion teammates with the Orlando Valkyries, DeBeer helped lead Indy Ignite to a silver finish, and Bavykina suited up for the Columbus Fury.
So how did the stars align for all of them to land in the PVL at the same time? It all comes down to scheduling.
The MLV’s season is specifically designed to fit around the FIVB-mandated national team period every year.
This gives American national team players their window to represent the country — while those outside the program get the freedom to play overseas even while under contract with their U.S. clubs.
“The way pro volleyball works in the U.S. is that you have a season from December to May. Technically, right now is our offseason,” DeBeer explained to SPIN.ph.
“I really wanted another opportunity to get better, stay in shape, and how cool is it to play in the Philippines for three months? I really could not turn that down.
“When I heard that it fit my schedule and would work with my season in the U.S., it was a no-brainer for me.”
With opportunities not as plentiful in other international leagues, DeBeer, now a leading candidate for best foreign guest player, seized the chance to play in the Philippines in what became her first overseas stint.
The volleyball itself, however, took some getting used to.
“It’s a little bit different — runs, practices, the way they call their plays,” she said. “I had to learn their whole system because we say and call things differently in the U.S.
“It was a bit of an adjustment at first, but once I got in with everybody and worked with them in practice, it was pretty easy.”
U.S. and Philippines' volleyball boom
One thing the Philippines and the U.S. have in common is how volleyball is exploding in popularity.
And to be in the middle of two rising volleyball markets, DeBeer said, has been a privilege, especially with a shot at delivering the Thunderbelles' first-ever PVL title, especially given that the last two Reinforced Conference champions were backed by American imports in the Cool Smashers' Erica Staunton last year and LVW with the Angels in 2022.
“It’s really gotten huge in NCAA college volleyball, and now the pro leagues in the U.S. have been starting in the last few years which is super exciting,” she said.
“Volleyball has been really skyrocketing. People are finally watching it and getting into it. It raises the level of competition and makes games more exciting.
“It’s really cool to be a part of it. I’m gonna be back for another U.S. season when I get home, but it’s been a great experience here.”
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