Brittany Abercrombie crowned 2024 AU Pro Volleyball Champion
Brittany Abercrombie, one of 23 newcomers this season, took Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball by storm. She rose to the top and never relinquished No. 1, winning the 2024 AU Pro Volleyball Championship. She finished with 4,521 leaderboard points, leading in all three leaderboard categories.
Abercrombie is not only the first opposite to earn the title but the first non-outside hitter to be crowned champion.
“It was a lot of hard work and I also have to thank my teammates for doing so well throughout the whole thing, but it feels kind of unbelievable,” Abercrombie said. “I wasn’t expecting this when I came here to AU.”
Never before has the league seen an opposite cruise through the five weeks of competition with dominance. Abercrombie finished second in the league in kills with 232 in 15 matches. She was one of the most efficient athletes in the circuit, taking smart shots and rarely making errors in her 582 attempts. She recorded a .255 hitting percentage on the season.
She took over the Gold team captain spot in Week Two and never wore a different color uniform. Abercrombie closed out the season with a captain’s record of 10-2. She began her captaincy with an eight-match win streak, tied for the best mark for a captain across all AU sports. Abercrombie was the go-to for her teams nearly every game and earned an MVP nod in 11 out of 15 matches.
Each of her teams expressed a togetherness and composure that trickled down from the calm demeanor of their captain. They continuously overcame deficits and won matches that extended to a “Golden Set.” Abercrombie is the winningest player of the season with 2,020 win points; she only lost two games.
“That’s how I stay focused. My baseline is pretty even,” Abercrombie said. “I get more excited for my teammates’ blocks or points than I do about my own, but I think that’s how I’m able to stay focused throughout the whole match is to stay super calm.”
Second-place medalist: Bethania De La Cruz-Mejía
Bethania De La Cruz-Mejía continues to cement herself as one of the best players in AU Pro Volleyball history, earning a second-place medal.
De La Cruz-Mejía has competed with the league since its inception and was crowned the 2022 Champion. This year she was third in the league in kills with 201, in the top 10 for digs (126), and had one of the best positive reception percentages. In her 253 reception attempts, De La Cruz-Mejía passed well 60% of the time. Her top-spin jump serve continued to be lethal; she led the league with 17 aces.
The outside hitter is the only AU Pro Volleyball player to record more than 10,000 leaderboard points. Her name is scattered across the AU record books for single-game and single-season offense and serving statistics.
Third-place medalist: Madi Kingdon Rishel
Madi Kingdon Rishel found a way to the top of the leaderboard with consistently elite play. The AU newcomer led the league in kills with 232. She averaged 5.04 kills per set and contributed 131 digs, good for ninth-best in the circuit. She finished the five-week competition just one kill shy of the single-season record held by De La Cruz-Mejía from the 2022 season.
She was a consistent force for her teams despite the final score of her matches. Kingdon Rishel finished second on the leaderboard in stat points (1,880), second in MVP points (460), but 41st in win points (1,060).
Fourth-place medalist & Defensive Player of the Year: Morgan Hentz
Morgan Hentz made league history last year when she was named the two-time Defensive Player of the Year and now she’s in a category of her own as a three-peat winner. The libero paced the league in digs with 242 in 15 matches — a new league record.
Hentz owns the records for digs in every league category. Her name is also in the books for single-game digs (25, set in the 2023 season).
She is the only player in the league’s four years to record multiple seasons with 200 or more digs, which she has now done in each of her first three campaigns.
She was voted an MVP in five matches with the fifth-most points in that category.
Blocker of the Year: Molly McCage
Molly McCage owned the front row this season and has been named Blocker of the Year; she earned the nod in back-to-back seasons. McCage led the league in blocks with 40, which broke the record for single-season blocks formerly held by Lauren Gibbemeyer who had 33 in the 2021 season. McCage also added 24 block assists.
McCage became the career rejections leader when she passed the 84 mark; she now has 115 all-time.
Teammate of the Year: Taylor Bruns Tegenrot
Setter Taylor Bruns Tegenrot was named the Teammate of the Year. Bruns Tegenrot was largely utilized as a serving substitution throughout the season but provided invaluable insight to her teams. During time outs and throughout the match she was often seen collaborating with the other setters on her teams and helping her squad make adjustments.
The award is given to the player who has exemplified great leadership skills, is of good character, and has been a positive influence on their teams regardless of personal performance.
2024 All-Position Team
Eight athletes were also named to the 2024 All-Position Team earlier this weekend:
- Outside Hitter: Betty De La Cruz-Mejía; Madi Kingdon Rishel
- Opposite: Brittany Abercrombie
- Middle Blocker: Molly McCage, Tori Dixon
- Setter: Natalia Valentin-Anderson
- Libero: Morgan Hentz, Manami Kojma
AU Pro Volleyball also announced that it will continue with its fifth season in 2025. Details regarding timing and location will be announced at a later date.
Savanna Collins is the Senior Reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Twitter @savannaecollins.
