Anilis Fitch's performance makes Heungkuk Life fans laugh.

Heungkuk Life Insurance Co., led by Marcello Avondaga coach, announced the Asian quarter change right before the season opened. It has hired Fitch, a former member of the New Zealand national team, as a substitute for Luizlay Huang, a Chinese middle blocker.
With his tall height of 197 centimeters, Luizlay was expected to firmly protect the center line of Heungkuk Life. He also has good affinity with his teammates and focused on studying Korean to adapt to Korea. He was very determined to succeed in the V-League. 스포츠토토

At the 2024 Tongyeong-Dodram Cup Professional Volleyball Championship, however, he only scored 14 points in three matches, and Heungkuk Life replaced him in the end. Standing 197 centimeters tall, none of the Korean players could beat Louis Lei. He expected pressure from his height, but his performance at the Cup was close to failing.

Unlike Louis Ley, Peach has weaknesses in his height. Its 183 centimeters long, however, is advantageous in that it boasts strong movement attack using elasticity and excellent blocking timing. Heungkuk Life Insurance fans must have been worried about it when it announced the replacement three days before the opening of the season.

However, this is no longer the case. Having Peach in the team was a successful choice considering the end of the fourth round. He has played in 23 games and posted a success rate of .831 blockings per set with a success rate of 45.04 percent of 250 points. He also ranks third in this category with a success rate of mobile attacks exceeding 50 percent, and is second in blocking.

Especially after the beginning of the second half, the pitch is different from that of the first half. Peach scored 94 points in six matches in the fourth round. Compared with 49 points in the first round, 57 points in the second round, and 50 points in the third round, the score has jumped sharply. The number of blocks also stands at 27. For the first time, the number of serves exceeded 0.290 per set.

The highlight is the match against Red Sparks, the chief of staff of the club, held in Daejeon on Jan. 30. With the loss of the match potentially making Mercury unstable, Peach displayed his best performance since joining the V-League. He scored 22 points including six blocks and two serves, contributing to his team's 3-2 come-from-behind victory. His 22 points was the most in an individual game since his debut in the V-League, and his mobile attack was superb. Thanks to Peach's performance, Heungkuk Life had 55 points (19 wins and five losses), widening the gap with second-place Hyundai Engineering & Construction (50 points of 16 wins and eight losses).

After the game, Fitch said in an interview with the host television station, "I'm happy that I beat Jeong Gwan-jeon. I overcame the difficult part well. I tried to carry out what I had planned well, and I tried not to lose my energy," adding, "I didn't have much time to match it right before the season. Now I will have better chemistry with my teammates."

Heungkuk Life lost Lee Ju-ah, who was the team's main middle blocker until last season, to IBK Industrial Bank of Korea. Lee left the team on condition that he received a maximum of 1.2 billion won for three years. However, Peach is adding strength to Heungkuk Life by making cool plays that do not remind not only Louis Lei but also Lee Ju-ah of the team.