The fortune of the Louisville Cardinals in the NCAA Volleyball championship final match was decided during the Final Four round. On December 19, the Cardinals won the semifinal game against the archrival Pittsburgh Panthers. The victory in the game earned Louisville their ticket to the final. But they had to pay an enormous price to achieve that. During the game, captain Anna DeBeer led the charge from the front and scored 14 kills in three sets. Meanwhile, in the fourth set against the Panthers, a mid-court physical clash with teammate Phekran Kong made her fall under the net. The clash of feet was so massive that it twisted DeBeer’s ankle to its side.

The suddenness made her body shake. She started to cry, lying in the arena. She felt the end of her collegiate career. In the meantime, someone came to help her. In the following moments, another senior player for the Cardinals did everything she could to help Anna DeBeer back on her feet. However, no positive outcome was achieved. DeBeer missed the final game because of her injury.

In the end, the Cardinals fell short against Penn State, leading both the senior player and Anna to retire with a lingering desire to become NCAA volleyball champions. Two weeks later, both have returned with significant news.

Anna DeBeer drops the major update, rubbing shoulders with her best mate 

The Louisville Cardinals volleyball supporters observed two familiar figures throughout every season, spanning from 2021 to 2024. During those four years, the pair led the program to the NCAA Volleyball Final Four on three occasions. For such a mammoth contribution, they earned the title of a foundational player of the program.

But last year, the NCAA postseason concluded their collegiate career in the same match, in the final against the Nittany Lions. Meanwhile, Cards fans felt worried, thinking about watching Anna DeBeer and Elena Scott together on the court again. Fret not.

DeBeer has good news to share. On January 2, the outside hitter shared a clip through her TikTok handle. Tagging the phenomenal libero, the Cardinals’ former captain captioned the post with the lines: “We just couldn’t get away from each other.”

And that’s not all. The duo still has surprises. 

In the clip, Anna kept lines like, “NEW YEAR NEW TEAM SAME DUO.” But what about the team? The clip has the answer. In the clip, both DeBeer and Scott can be seen dancing and highlighting their jerseys in a locker room. Notably, the jersey confirms their signing for the Pro Volleyball Federation program Indy Ignite.

Now, after putting Louisville volleyball on the main map, the outside hitter and libero are on the brink of making history for Indy Ignite. Notably, the former Cardinals pair ended their collegiate careers with enviable recognition. Apart from their high scores in the arena last year, both earned a place in the list of VolleyballMag All-Americans. Elena Scott saw herself in the first team, whereas DeBeer entered the second.

As they move toward their professional career, their former volleyball abode seems busy finding their replacements. 

The dilemma in finding the right pair to replace the foundational players 

A few days ago, Torrey Stafford’s entry in the transfer portal put the supporters of both the Pittsburgh Panthers and the Louisville Cardinals in the same positions. Pitt’s fans couldn’t believe their second-best player’s entry in the portal. The Cardinals’ fans, however, started to count days to see Stafford in the Cardinals as Anna DeBeer’s replacement. That could have been the sweet revenge of the ACC rival.

But per sports journalist Tim Sullivan, Louisville volleyball coach Dani Bushboom Kelly has informed him about Stafford’s refusal to join the Cardinals. Then?

Who will pick the team up next season? Or who will replace Elena Scott? 

Not any update has come yet. Nonetheless, Louisville has roped someone in. As per the update, Chloe Chicoine has committed to Louisville and has two years of eligibility left. The outside hitter has some enviable numbers amassed on the court last season, representing the Purdue Boilermakers.

The fans will expect her to see in a similar color in the upcoming season and to be Anna’s replacement. But is there any replacement for Elena Scott? Well, DBK has yet to have an answer. Do you have someone in mind?