DASMARIÑAS, CAVITE – For Anna DeBeer, the wait was worth it.
After sitting out ZUS Coffee’s supposed debut against Akari due to the pending release of her ITC, the American spiker refused to let frustration creep in.
Instead, she channeled her energy into preparation — and it showed.
“I think it just makes the anticipation higher and the excitement more exciting. It’s really out of our control, so I really wasn’t stressing and worrying too much and just really working hard this week to be ready for today,” said DeBeer.
When her moment finally came, she delivered — leading the Thunderbelles to a four-set, 25-15, 19-25, 25-20, 25-23, win over Chery Tiggo in the 2025 Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference, Saturday at the City of Dasmariñas here.
And DeBeer did so in emphatic fashion, erupting for 37 points built on 35 attacks, one block, and one ace.
She was just a point shy of matching the conference-high mark set by Farm Fresh import Helene Rousseaux earlier in the tournament.
(C) PVL Images
Her explosive debut, though, came as no surprise to ZUS Coffee head coach Jerry Yee, who had already seen glimpses of DeBeer’s talent in training.
“Of course [more to improve on], pero we see this in practice, so di naman masyadong surprise sa amin na ganyan yung performance niya. Talagang power. Malakas din si Anna,” said the veteran coach.
But beyond the numbers, DeBeer said what truly drives her is the desire to grow and win alongside her new team.
The 24-year-old outside hitter expressed her gratitude for the environment the Thunderbelles have built — one filled with supportive teammates and coaches who made her transition smooth and fulfilling.
“Obviously, as a team, we want to win this thing. And we’re going to try our best to get there. I think that’s why it’s super exciting to be in an environment with such a great team, with great staff, and be around good people where it’s fun to work hard every single day,” said DeBeer.
With a strong debut behind her and the Thunderbelles showing early promise, DeBeer is eager to see just how far this group can go.
“So I’m really just excited on getting better and seeing how far we can go.”
