AU PRO VOLLEYBALL WEEK 2 DRAFT TAKEAWAYS
After flying to the top of the leaderboard and securing the greatest Week One lead since Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball’s inaugural season in 2021, Jordan Thompson tackled her very first AU draft with the intention of choosing seasoned on-court leaders.
“I think a big thing for me was the leadership,” she explained. “I’m not somebody who’s going to be a really vocal leader in the sense of directing traffic and doing all that stuff, and so I really wanted to have people who are just natural leaders in that way.”
With that drafting priority in mind, she wasted no time in selecting veteran middle blocker Molly McCage in the first round, followed by Brazil’s Natália Zilio Pereira.
“I was really excited to play with Molly because I’ve always just played against her, and so that was really exciting to have her be my first pick,” Thompson said. “I knew the middles were going to be really important. And obviously she’s really, really talented, and I think she does great with the leadership stuff as well.”
McCage led the middles in stat points after playing Week One with Team Abercrombie, while Zilio Pereira posted a statement debut match with 11 kills, two service aces, nine digs, and a block versus Team De La Cruz-Mejía.
“I was definitely thinking about [McCage], thinking about Natalia, people who have a lot of experience, and really high levels of volleyball IQ, too,” Thompson said.
To fill the second outside hitter spot, Thompson called on Canada’s Alexa Gray, who finished just behind Zilio Pereira in Week One stat points, with the intention of creating balance between the two six-rotation players.
“I wanted to make sure that the outsides would complement each other well and feel comfortable with each other,” Thompson explained. “I think both Natalia and Alexa did a great job in Week One, offensively and as passers, and so I feel like I was trying to look at who would pair well together.”
Tessa Grubbs is the only player Thompson played with last week who will be joining her for Week Two, meaning she will be adjusting to an entirely new roster, including a new setter: Madi Bugg.
“I connected really well with her during preseason. And obviously playing against her, I think she runs the speed, and that just provides so much daylight for her attackers,” Thompson said. “Her decision making and selection and placement and everything overall–she’s just a really solid setter, and she’s got great defense and a great serve.”
Valentin-Anderson Trusts Rising Rookies
Although setter Natalia Valentin-Anderson went with experience for her pin hitters, selecting Madi Kingdon Rishel, Bethania De La Cruz-Mejía, and Khat Bell, she opted for a pair of AU rookies who made a splash for Team Kingdon Rishel last week: Serena Gray and Sophie Fischer.
Gray notched seven kills with an impressive team-high .667 hitting percentage, while Fischer opened her AU career with four kills, three service aces, and a match-high five blocks. The two have already proven to be a double threat offensively and defensively, and will be a duo to watch for Valentin-Anderson’s squad.
Hoffman Combines Championship Pedigrees
With her first and second picks in her debut AU draft, Claire Hoffman jumped at the chance to claim returning AU champion Brittany Abercrombie and Olympic setter Micha Hancock. Abercrombie ranked second among opposites in Week One behind Jordan Thompson, while Hancock has no shortage of experience and has two Olympic medals to prove it.
If the two stars can find their rhythm quickly, Team Hoffman could pose quite the offensive threat in Week Two.
Hentz Shoots for Star Power at the Net
In her second draft this season, Morgan Hentz claimed the two middles who helped her secure the only undefeated Week One record. Tori Dixon and Kayla Caffey were the top two middles on the Week One leaderboard, and Hentz took advantage of the chance to draft the pair for a second straight week.
Middles had a huge impact on every squad in Week One, but Dixon and Caffey showed some of the most consistent production, and their presence was pivotal to Team Hentz’s success. With both of them returning to her squad, the libero captain will have a strong chance to repeat her undefeated results in Week Two.
Week Two begins Thursday, Oct. 9, at Liberty First Credit Union in Ralston, Nebraska. Team Hentz will face Team Valentin-Anderson on ESPN+ at 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT, followed by Team Thompson vs. Team Hoffman at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT on All Women’s Sports Network (AWSN), Swerve, and more.
Siera Jones is the digital media reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Instagram and X @sieraajones.
