Indiana University Athletics
Better Than Ever -- Kendall Beerman Seeks Volleyball Finale to Remember
8/20/2019 9:25:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
BY PETE DIPRIMIO
IUHoosiers.com
The knee is fine. Kendall Beerman understands that. It is surgically repaired, rigorously rehabbed, and if it's not yet discomfort free, well, nothing is sure except this unshakeable truth:
The Indiana senior outside hitter has one volleyball adventure left and intends to make the most of it.
"I need to trust that the rehab went well," she says, then pauses as if to convince herself.
"It did. I'm healthy."
Doubt is part of every recovery process, and the best ones overcome it. The 6-2 Beerman has been among the best for a long time.
She led IU with 277 kills in 2017. She was good enough to start on her Lexington, Ky., high school team as a seventh grader.
Yes, a seventh grader.
Beerman, a four-time all-state high school player, earned Under Armour third team All-America honors in 2014.
Then she came to IU and played in 72 straight matches, a streak stopped only by last year's torn ACL. The goal is to be better than ever this season.
"I had a good rehab," Beerman says.
Beerman sits on a bleacher at Wilkinson Hall. A practice has just wrapped up and prospects are promising -- for her and for the Hoosiers.
It comes with this certainty -- One door is closing as another is opening.
"This is it for me," Beerman says. "This is my last semester. I'm just going to go for it. No fear. Find my confidence and know I can do it because I can."
Last year Beerman certainly did it -- for 14 matches. She had 179 kills and 151 digs. She was named MVP of the UNLV Invitational, had a season-high 22 kills at Cincinnati, a career-high 26 digs in a win at Ball State and made academic All-Big Ten.
Then her knee blew out in a loss to Minnesota and life became, well, complicated.
Coach Steve Aird is hopeful the complications are over and that Beerman will have a career finale to remember.
"We just need her to be healthy," he says. "If she's the same kind of player she was last year, it will matter. At one point she was third in the conference in kills."
He pauses. Because of NCAA rules, Aird wasn't allowed to work with Beerman – or any of the Hoosiers -- over the summer, which created an information void.
Let's just say, he isn't a fan.
"The problem with our sport is we don't get to be around our kids for four months," he says, "and then we have two weeks to get going.
"It's not like basketball or football. I have no idea what's going on until (the first day of practice) in terms of who's healthy and what's going on and who can do what."
Aird gets a week to evaluate players and then about 10 days to figure out his best lineup and rotation. What does that mean for Beerman?
"My hope is she worked hard in the summer and took care of what she needed to do," Aird says. "She's a great kid. I'm excited for her.
"So much comes back to the locker room and how committed they were and how hard they worked. Those are things we can't be part of. As a coach, you cross your fingers a little bit."
Aird crossed his fingers well enough last season to deliver a 16-15 record, 7-13 in the Big Ten. It was quite a Hoosier coaching debut, and it left everyone in the program wanting more, especially with six returning starters and nine promising newcomers, including transfers from Louisville, LSU, Virginia Tech, Arizona and Creighton.
"We're excited," Beerman says. "We have seven seniors who are ready to go out with a bang. We have a lot of good underclassmen. We're ready to get the job done. We had a good spring, one of the best we've ever had. We're feeling positive."
Staying positive starts with strong veteran leadership.
"The upperclassmen who have been here a while have done a good job of introducing (the newcomers) to the culture, how to do things, what's expected of us," Beerman says. "We've done better than in the past."
Aird helps by pushing a positive mindset that goes beyond volleyball.
Players are all in.
"Our key (phrase) is 'Always Grateful'," Beerman says. "When you think about everything that goes on in the world, we get to play volleyball in the Big Ten. We get to have fun every day. We get to compete. We get to travel. Remember all we have and give more than we get. If we do that, we'll always be motivated and we'll have a good year."
That's exactly what Aird wants to hear.
"You look at some of the terrible stuff going around the country. We're in the entertainment business. We want to develop great players. We get to be around each other every day, to give each other a hug, care about each other. Things happen so fast and lives are over. We're lucky to have this opportunity."
Beerman embraces the opportunity, recognizing that much more lies ahead, including, perhaps, college coaching. She is, after all, the daughter of a coach.
"I'm open to anything," the sports marketing and management graduate says. "I'm not afraid to go anywhere. I want to learn how to be a good coach and learn from the best."
There's no doubt about that.
IUHoosiers.com
The knee is fine. Kendall Beerman understands that. It is surgically repaired, rigorously rehabbed, and if it's not yet discomfort free, well, nothing is sure except this unshakeable truth:
The Indiana senior outside hitter has one volleyball adventure left and intends to make the most of it.
"I need to trust that the rehab went well," she says, then pauses as if to convince herself.
"It did. I'm healthy."
Doubt is part of every recovery process, and the best ones overcome it. The 6-2 Beerman has been among the best for a long time.
She led IU with 277 kills in 2017. She was good enough to start on her Lexington, Ky., high school team as a seventh grader.
Yes, a seventh grader.
Beerman, a four-time all-state high school player, earned Under Armour third team All-America honors in 2014.
Then she came to IU and played in 72 straight matches, a streak stopped only by last year's torn ACL. The goal is to be better than ever this season.
"I had a good rehab," Beerman says.
Beerman sits on a bleacher at Wilkinson Hall. A practice has just wrapped up and prospects are promising -- for her and for the Hoosiers.
It comes with this certainty -- One door is closing as another is opening.
"This is it for me," Beerman says. "This is my last semester. I'm just going to go for it. No fear. Find my confidence and know I can do it because I can."
Last year Beerman certainly did it -- for 14 matches. She had 179 kills and 151 digs. She was named MVP of the UNLV Invitational, had a season-high 22 kills at Cincinnati, a career-high 26 digs in a win at Ball State and made academic All-Big Ten.
Then her knee blew out in a loss to Minnesota and life became, well, complicated.
Coach Steve Aird is hopeful the complications are over and that Beerman will have a career finale to remember.
"We just need her to be healthy," he says. "If she's the same kind of player she was last year, it will matter. At one point she was third in the conference in kills."
He pauses. Because of NCAA rules, Aird wasn't allowed to work with Beerman – or any of the Hoosiers -- over the summer, which created an information void.
Let's just say, he isn't a fan.
"The problem with our sport is we don't get to be around our kids for four months," he says, "and then we have two weeks to get going.
"It's not like basketball or football. I have no idea what's going on until (the first day of practice) in terms of who's healthy and what's going on and who can do what."
Aird gets a week to evaluate players and then about 10 days to figure out his best lineup and rotation. What does that mean for Beerman?
"My hope is she worked hard in the summer and took care of what she needed to do," Aird says. "She's a great kid. I'm excited for her.
"So much comes back to the locker room and how committed they were and how hard they worked. Those are things we can't be part of. As a coach, you cross your fingers a little bit."
Aird crossed his fingers well enough last season to deliver a 16-15 record, 7-13 in the Big Ten. It was quite a Hoosier coaching debut, and it left everyone in the program wanting more, especially with six returning starters and nine promising newcomers, including transfers from Louisville, LSU, Virginia Tech, Arizona and Creighton.
"We're excited," Beerman says. "We have seven seniors who are ready to go out with a bang. We have a lot of good underclassmen. We're ready to get the job done. We had a good spring, one of the best we've ever had. We're feeling positive."
Staying positive starts with strong veteran leadership.
"The upperclassmen who have been here a while have done a good job of introducing (the newcomers) to the culture, how to do things, what's expected of us," Beerman says. "We've done better than in the past."
Aird helps by pushing a positive mindset that goes beyond volleyball.
Players are all in.
"Our key (phrase) is 'Always Grateful'," Beerman says. "When you think about everything that goes on in the world, we get to play volleyball in the Big Ten. We get to have fun every day. We get to compete. We get to travel. Remember all we have and give more than we get. If we do that, we'll always be motivated and we'll have a good year."
That's exactly what Aird wants to hear.
"You look at some of the terrible stuff going around the country. We're in the entertainment business. We want to develop great players. We get to be around each other every day, to give each other a hug, care about each other. Things happen so fast and lives are over. We're lucky to have this opportunity."
Beerman embraces the opportunity, recognizing that much more lies ahead, including, perhaps, college coaching. She is, after all, the daughter of a coach.
"I'm open to anything," the sports marketing and management graduate says. "I'm not afraid to go anywhere. I want to learn how to be a good coach and learn from the best."
There's no doubt about that.
Players Mentioned
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