DASMARIÑAS, CAVITE – Patience paid off for Anna DeBeer.
The American outside hitter had to sit out ZUS Coffee’s initially scheduled debut against Akari due to a pending ITC release. But rather than letting the delay frustrate her, DeBeer turned it into fuel for preparation.
“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,” she said.
When her opportunity finally arrived, DeBeer made every second count. She powered the Thunderbelles to a hard-fought four-set victory, 25-15, 19-25, 25-20, 25-23, over Chery Tiggo in the 2025 Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference Saturday at the City of Dasmariñas.
DeBeer’s stat line was nothing short of spectacular: 37 points on 35 attacks, one block, and one ace — just a point shy of tying the conference-high mark set by Farm Fresh import Helene Rousseaux.
Her performance, however, was no shock to ZUS Coffee head coach Jerry Yee, who had witnessed her firepower in practice.
“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,” Yee said.
For DeBeer, the numbers tell only part of the story. What drives her is the opportunity to grow and succeed alongside her new teammates in a positive and encouraging environment.
“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,” she said.
With her debut now behind her, DeBeer’s focus shifts to the journey ahead — testing the limits of the Thunderbelles and seeing how far this group can go together.
“So I'm really just excited on getting better and seeing how far we can go,” she added.
