AU Pro Volleyball Season 4: Week 5 Draft Dots

Here is a list of notes and tidbits related to the AU Pro Volleyball Week Five draft.

• Opposite Brittany Abercrombie returns as the Gold team captain for the third week in a row … The AU Pro Volleyball newcomer is in her fourth term as a team leader and holds an 8-1 record. 
• Outside hitter Bethania De La Cruz-Mejía begins her 15th week as a squad leader, including all five weeks this season … She guides an Orange team for the seventh time in her career, including the third week in a row. 
• De La Cruz-Mejía is the third captain in AU Pro Volleyball history to serve as a captain during an entire season … She also captained a team in all five weeks during the 2022 campaign, while outside hitter Leah Edmond was a five-time captain last year. 
• Outside hitter Madi Kingdon Rishel makes her debut as a team captain for the final week of the season … The Arizona native and University of Arizona graduate, who will pilot the Blue team in Week Five, is paired with facilitator Dave Rubio, who was her collegiate coach with the Wildcats. 
• In addition, Team Kingdon Rishel features all three Arizona natives on this season’s roster … Opposite Willow Johnson and outside hitter Brooke Nuneviller will close out the season together at the Arizona Athletic Grounds just miles from where each calls home. 
• Kingdon Rishel becomes the 10th different captain this season, including the fourth first-time squad leader … The 10 total team captains matches the league record for most captains in a single season, equaling the 10 captains during the inaugural 2021 AU Pro Volleyball season. 
• Outside hitter Dani Drews returns to the captain’s chair in Week Five after jumping seven spots on the leaderboard in Week Four’s final match … The Utah graduate also piloted the Purple side in Week Three after climbing up the leaderboard during the last match day in Week Two. 
• The 2024 AU Pro Volleyball season has featured five different players taken with the No. 1 overall selection during each of the weekly drafts … It is the first time since the inaugural 2021 campaign where each week highlighted a new player being selected with the top overall choice in the draft. 
• Outside hitter Claire Hoffman was selected No. 1 overall by Team Drews, marking an 11-place increase from the Week Four draft … Her previous high was the No. 3 pick to Team De La Cruz-Mejía during Week Three … The 11-spot jump in draft position is the largest positive movement in the final set of selections. 
• Opposite Willow Johnson continued her weekly rise up the draft board and was chosen with the No. 2 selection … Since going at No. 20 in the season’s first draft and 22nd overall in Week Two, she has been picked in the top two rounds during each of the last three segments. 
• Outside hitter Leketor Member-Meneh returned to the draft board after serving as a team leader in each of the previous two weeks and went in the No. 3 spot on the board … It is her highest selection of the season after previously going to Team De La Cruz-Mejía in the No. 4 spot during the Week Two proceedings. 
• Member-Meneh is back on Team De La Cruz-Mejía for the third time this season … The league newcomer tallied her season highs in weekly leaderboard points with 703 points and 727 points in each of the first two weeks of the campaign. 
• Outside hitter Temi Thomas-Ailara rounded out the first round draft picks with the No. 4 selection to Team Abercrombie … It is a three-spot improvement from last week and a 30-place improvement from Week Two when she went off the board at No. 34.
• The duo of outside hitter Brooke Nuneviller and middle blocker Molly McCage each dropped out of the first round of the draft for the first time this season, but were both taken in the second round after going off the draft board at No. 7 and No. 8, respectively. 
• Liberos Morgan Hentz and Manami Kojima went fifth and sixth overall off the draft board, respectively, to match their highest draft position of the season … Kojima has been taken in the second round during each of the past three drafts. 
• Setter Madi Bugg and opposite Heydi Casanova each rose 10 spots up the draft board after excelling in Week Four … The duo combined for just one set appearance in Week Three before starting all three contests last week. 
• Middle blocker Lauren Page was taken with the No. 17 pick, signaling her highest draft selection of the season … It was a six-spot leap from a week ago and a three-place improvement from her previous best as the 20th overall draftee. 
• Setter Marlie Monserez improved seven spots to No. 27 in the final weekly draft. 
• Outside hitter Allison Mayfield dropped 11 places on the leaderboard to the No. 35 selection, which was her lowest choice of the season … She started the season as the No. 11 selection and went in the 10th slot during Week Two. 
• Middle blocker Berkeley Oblad, a starter in all three matches during Week Four, dropped a league-high 17 spots on the draft board to the 38th pick after a season-high 21st selection a week ago. 
• Libero Nomaris Vélez Agosto puts on a Purple jersey for the sixth time in her four-year AU Pro Volleyball career … Vélez Agosto is tied with setter Alisha Childress and middle blocker Kayla Caffey for the most times wearing a Purple jersey in league history … Childress will join Vélez Agosto on the Team Drews roster in Week Five. 
• Outside hitter Lindsey Vander Weide dons a Gold top for the sixth time in her 10-week league career, including the third time this year. 
• Setter Nootsara Tomkom joins the Purple team for the third time this season … She also wore the color in Week One and guided the Purple squad in Week Two. 
• Middle blocker Emily Thater puts on a Gold jersey for the first time this season in Week Five … She has worn all four AU Pro Volleyball jersey colors during her rookie campaign. 
• Outside hitter Brooke Nuneviller joins the Blue team for the fourth time in her two AU Pro Volleyball seasons, including the second time this season. 
• Setter Marlie Monserez will not be in Blue for the first time in her first AU Pro Volleyball season after being chosen to play for Team De La Cruz-Mejía … She was in Blue in each of the first four weeks of the campaign. 
• Opposite Willow Johnson sports a Blue shirt for a career-best fifth time, including the second instance this season. 
• Middle blocker Tori Dixon will be in Orange for the third straight week to close out the season … It is the sixth time she has worn an Orange shirt after donning the top three times last year. 
• Outside hitter Bethania De La Cruz-Mejía will wear the Orange jersey for the ninth time in her four-year Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball career, marking the most times a player has worn a single jersey color in league history. 
• ● Middle blocker Kaz Brown puts on a Gold jersey for the fourth time in her AU career, including the first time this season … She closed the 2023 season by wearing Gold during each of the final three weeks.