ZUS Coffee continued its strong start in the PVL Reinforced Conference, riding on another commanding performance from import Anna DeBeer and the superb orchestration of setter Cloanne Mondoñedo to crush Galeries Tower, 25-22, 25-16, 25-16, Tuesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Thunderbelles, fresh from a thrilling four-set triumph over Chery Tiggo in Cavite last weekend, showed no signs of slowing down or fatigue, steamrolling their Pool B rivals with precision, control and firepower – all while DeBeer once again led the charge.

After erupting for 37 points in their previous outing, DeBeer didn’t need to go full throttle this time as the Highrisers offered little resistance in the 77-minute contest. Still, the American standout turned in another dominant showing with 18 points and five receptions, powering through the defense with ease and turning the second set into a virtual hitting clinic.

But beyond her scoring brilliance, it was the fluid, intelligent distribution by Mondoñedo that allowed ZUS Coffee to dictate the pace throughout. The former St. Benilde ace kept Galeries Tower guessing, feeding her spikers in rhythm while keeping the blockers off-balance with quick plays and deceptive dumps.

The crafty setter dished out 20 excellent sets – just two shy of her standout performance against the Crossovers – as she kept their offense humming throughout to spike their dominant victory.

But it was middle blocker AC Miner who stole the spotlight and earned Best Player of the Game honors with a commanding presence at the net. She finished with 10 points, many of which came from lightning-quick hits and well-timed power tips that disrupted the Highrisers’ defense.

“We were able to sustain our momentum from the start all the way to the last point,” said Miner, reflecting on their bounce-back after a sluggish start. “Even though we were slow to warm up in the first set, we made up for it and I think we closed the match really well.”

Miner also acknowledged Galeries Tower’s effort to challenge them, particularly with the Highrisers’ aggressive rallies and defense.

“They really tested our floor defense,” she added. “We tried to bring up every ball they sent over, and during those long rallies, we focused on matching their energy. I think it came down to whose defense would hold up longer – and ours did.”

ZUS Coffee head coach Jerry Yee, however, chose to downplay his team’s early success.

“We’re still a work in progress. There are still a lot of lapses we need to address,” he said in Filipino. “We’re waiting for the tougher teams – that’s when everything we’re looking for will really come out. Hopefully, there won’t be too many issues, or at least we’ll be able to overcome them in our first meeting. For now, we just keep putting in the work.”

The Thunderbelles got solid contributions from their supporting cast as well. Fiola Ceballos chipped in seven points, while Kate Santiago and Riza Nogales added six apiece in a well-rounded offensive display. Nogales also anchored the defense with key blocks and smart coverage at the net.

ZUS Coffee again dominated the stat sheet. The Thunderbelles outhit the Highrisers, 44-33, and delivered six service aces while conceding only three. Though the Highrisers had a slight edge in blocking, 5-4, the Thunderbelles made the most of their opponents’ miscues, converting 21 points off unforced errors while limiting their own to just 13.

On the other side, Galeries Tower struggled to find consistency, particularly after losing playmaker Julia Coronel to an ankle injury midway through the third set – a blow that affected their rhythm in the closing stretch.

Import Jelena Cvijovic was held to just 11 points, while Jean Asis contributed nine. Ysa Jimenez and Dimdim Pacres combined for 11 points, but the Highrisers couldn’t mount a sustained challenge, falling to their second straight defeat.

Mondoñedo’s steady hand was instrumental in spreading the offense across the Thunderbelles’ deep rotation. Her ability to find the hot hand, manage tempo, and set up clean opportunities gave DeBeer the platform to shine – and allowed others like Miner and Nogales to step up at crucial moments.

Nogales delivered a highlight block on Cvijovic to cap Set 2, while Miner’s quick hit early in the third frame padded ZUS Coffee’s lead to 7-3 – a gap that Galeries could never recover from.

From there, it was smooth sailing for Yee’s squad, which simply fended off the Highrisers’ threat at 12-13 in the third set by countering with a decisive run on their way to another nine-point set win.

Now 2-0 and sitting comfortably at the top of Pool B alongside fellow unbeaten team Akari, ZUS Coffee enters a well-earned break before returning to face powerhouse Creamline on Oct. 23 at the FilOil EcoOil Arena in San Juan City – a litmus test for how far this team has come.

With DeBeer anchoring the offense and Mondoñedo expertly running the floor, the Thunderbelles are quickly emerging as serious contenders in the season-ending conference organized by Sports Vision and backed by ICTSI, Milcu, Mikasa and Fabriano.