2022 Division I Women — Anna DeBeer breaks down in tears. PHOTO: Getty Images

"It was just so close"- Anna DeBeer breaks down in tears as she reflects on NCAA finals loss to Penn State amid injury

Modified Dec 23, 2024 12:03 GMT

Anna DeBeer broke down in tears as she reflected on Louisville’s loss to Penn State in the finals of the 2024 NCAA women’s volleyball tournament. The Louisville star was unable to compete in the championship match after sustaining an ankle injury during the team's national semifinal against Pittsburgh.

Louisville felt DeBeer’s absence during the game as they couldn’t overcome the challenge from Penn State, eventually losing the match by 3-1 (25-23, 32-34, 25-20, 25-17) in the favor of the Nittany Lions. After Louisville’s loss in the finals, DeBeer was heartbroken and visibly in tears during her interview following the game. She said:

“It's very unfortunate, just the situation with my injury, and it just seemed like all the stars were aligning for such a perfect game in Louisville, finishing my career. We worked so freaking hard all year to get where we are, and it was just so close. So, I think that's what's really hard.”

Anna DeBeer further expressed her pride in freshman Payton Petersen, who stepped in for her during the match.

“But I'm so extremely proud of just the way everyone fought tonight and the way Payton Petersen, as a freshman, took on such a hard role. I'm just so proud of the way she went in and did what she needed to do. We just said it wasn't our best day; it wasn’t always going our way, but that second set showed the fight that our team has in us. But I would have done anything to be out there, and that's the hardest part.”

DeBeer also mentioned in the interview how she and her team did everything they could, but considering the long-term future, it was decided not to take the risk.

Anna DeBeer opens up on her favorite volleyball memory at Louisville

Louisville Cardinals outside hitter Anna DeBeer (14) at NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship semifinal match in 2021. (Photo by Graham Stokes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Anna DeBeer appeared in an episode of Keep It 100 with Kasean Pryor and Noah Waterman, via Floyd Street Media, where she was asked about her favorite volleyball memory. Although she couldn’t recall any specific memory, DeBeer highlighted that her sophomore year was very special to her, adding:

“I can't like pinpoint like one memory but my sophomore year was the year when we like were kind of like growing, but we hadn't really done anything…That year, we played like the top-ranked teams early on, like Nebraska. We swept them, we swept Purdue, we swept Kentucky, and at that time, those were huge wins. We’re like, wait, we actually like good. And that year, we just like went undefeated in the ACC and kept on just like being undefeated in the tournament until we fell short in the Final Four against Wisconsin.”

She added:

“But that year was just by far like my favorite memory, like the team was just such a special team. Making it that far, obviously, you just— it goes to show like how our team chemistry was and just how we got along really well.”

In the semifinals, Louisville suffered a tough loss to Wisconsin in a thrilling five-set contest (25-23, 15-25, 25-21, 23-25, and 15-9). Eventually, Wisconsin bagged their first-ever title at the 2021 NCAA Championship, defeating Nebraska in the championship game.