MESA, Arizona, October 25, 2024. – Week Four of the 2024 Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball season started off with plenty of flair as Team De La Cruz-Mejía held on for a thrilling 85-81 victory against Team Hentz on Friday night at Arizona Athletic Grounds.
Team De La Cruz-Mejía opens the penultimate week of the season with a 1-0 mark, while Team Hentz dips to 0-1.
Outside hitter Madi Kingdon Rishel led all players with 20 kills and registered 10 digs with four blocks to earn MVP 1 laurels and 305 leaderboard points, while outside hitter Temi Thomas-Ailara put down 18 kills with 12 digs to claim MVP 2 plaudits and 252 leaderboard points.
Libero Nomaris Vélez Agosto finished with a season-high 23 digs and garnered 239 leaderboard points to round out Match MVP honors.
Outside hitter Dani Drews posted 16 digs and eight digs, while outside hitter Bethania De La Cruz-Mejía put down 15 kills with a season-high 17 digs. Setter Madi Bugg pitched in 43 assists and nine digs in the victory.
Opposite Heydi Casanova registered a league-high 24 digs and pitched in nine kills in the loss for Team Hentz. Setter Natalia Valentin-Anderson also put forth a season-high effort by dishing out 46 assists with 12 digs, while libero and team captain Morgan Hentz picked up 16 digs in the loss.
How It Happened: Team Hentz held on to take the first set, 28-26, before Team De La Cruz-Mejía fired back with a 25-17 triumph in the second frame to take a 51-45 match lead. A marathon third set saw Team Hentz claim a 36-34 win, but Team De La Cruz-Mejía held on for the four-point match victory.
Leaderboard Impact: De La Cruz-Mejía reclaimed the top spot on the leaderboard with 3,007 points, while Kingdon Rishel vaulted six places into third place with 2,200 points. Hentz and Valentin-Anderson round out the top five spots with 2,180 and 2,079 points, respectively.
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