Red Tail resident, Thea Beran may reside in our neighborhood, but she truly lives for volleyball. She is 18 years old and attends Avon High School. She’s been playing volleyball for nine years and found her spark as the libero/defensive specialist. Her love for the game was introduced to her by her father. She’s not only gotten to experience his fatherly love, but also his love as a mentor and a coach.

Thea plays volleyball on her high school team and is a part of a club team at the Academy Volleyball of Cleveland. Balancing two teams and school work can be hard, but she always has time to practice. 4 days a week at her club facility to be exact. 

 

Someone she idolizes is Lexi Rodriguez, a senior libero at the University of Nebraska. She hasn’t gotten the chance to meet anyone famous, but she has had the opportunity to travel all over the U.S. for tournaments. So far she’s been to Georgia, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky and Nevada. 

As a member of Avon’s team, Thea played two games a week in the fall and a couple of tournaments in the summer. She and her team, this past year, played in the district finals, regional finals and the state final four state volleyball tournaments, making our community proud. As for her club team, she plays around 9 tournaments from late winter to early summer.

When asked what her favorite part of volleyball is, she said being able to meet so many different people. She said it’s allowed her to make so many connections and couldn’t be happier in the friendships. Her favorite memory was beating Avon Lake on their senior night her junior year. This win was particularly special because this meant they were the SWC co-champions. But not only has this game given her lifelong friendships and endless memories, it’s taught her so many lessons. One being resilience. She said the game can be fast-paced and unpredictable, so it’s important for players to stay focused and shake off any errors. It also helps you maintain a positive attitude and keep pushing forward. So, one piece of advice she would give to an aspiring volleyball player is to enjoy the process. She would tell them to value the importance of learning and developing and from there, success will follow. 

After graduation, Thea plans to attend Case Western Reserve University and study international business and finance. She will also be continuing her volleyball career. Congratulations to Thea on her next journey and go Spartans!