Recap: Thompson powers team to 71-66 victory with match-high 23 kills

KEY MOMENT

Team Thompson used nine kills from outside hitters Claire Hoffman and Madi Kingdon Rishel in addition to five total blocks to take the first set by a 25-19 count. After Team Valentin-Anderson narrowed the margin with a 25-21 result in the middle frame, Team Thompson sealed the match win with a 25-22 verdict in the final set.

LEADERBOARD UPDATE

Thompson remains in first place on the leaderboard with a commanding 833-point advantage over outside hitter Reagan Cooper, who maintains second place with 1,900 points. Hoffman jumped one spot and sits in third place with 1,777 points entering Sunday’s Week Three finale.

TEAM VALENTIN-ANDERSON NOTES

• Teams wearing the Blue jersey have lost six of the last seven matches, including the last four in a row, after Team Valentin-Anderson’s setback on Saturday evening.
• Captain Natalia Valentin-Anderson, who now owns a 7-13 career record as a captain, has dropped eight of her last 10 contests as a team leader.
• Opposite Brittany Abercrombie has tallied 10 or more kills in seven consecutive matches after pacing Team Valentin-Anderson with 16 kills on Saturday night … She has finished with at least 10 kills in 22-of-23 appearances in her two-year AU Pro Volleyball Championship career.
  • Abercrombie has authored 15 or more kills in 14 career matches, including four times this season.
• Abercrombie also added 11 digs for her third double-double of the season, including her second match in a row.
• Valentin-Anderson dished out a season-high 46 assists in Saturday’s loss against Team Thompson, marking the 16th time she has crossed the 40-assist threshold in a match during her AU Pro Volleyball Championship career … It is also the second time she has tallied 40 or more assists this season after opening the campaign with 42 assists against Team Abercrombie on October 3.
• Valentin-Anderson’s 46 assists are tied for the most by any player in a match this season … Setter Madi Bugg registered 46 assists on October 13 against Team Valentin-Anderson.
• Middle blocker Serena Gray earned MVP 1 accolades after setting a pair of season highs with 13 kills and 230 leaderboard points in Saturday’s loss … Gray, who authored her first double-digit kill performance of the season, became the 23rd different player to earn a Match MVP award this season.
• Libero Manami Kojima posted her fifth double-digit dig performance of the season after ending Saturday’s match with 10 digs.

Next Match: Sunday, October 26 vs. Team McCage | 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT

TEAM THOMPSON NOTES

• Opposites Jordan Thompson and Tessa Grubbs improved to 8-0 on the season to remain the only two players in the league without a loss … Thompson also improved to 5-0 as a team captain over the last two weeks.
• Thompson established a new AU Pro Volleyball Championship single-season record by recording her fourth outing with 20 or more kills … In addition, her four career 20-kill efforts are tied with opposite Brittany Abercrombie for second place on the league’s all-time chart.
• Thompson has tallied 10 or more kills in all eight matches this season, joining outside hitter Dani Drews as the only players to accomplish the feat this season.
• Thompson tied the AU Pro Volleyball Championship record by earning her eighth consecutive Match MVP award after being voted as the MVP 2 honoree on Saturday night … She matches the league standard set by outside hitter Bethania De La Cruz-Mejía from April 2, 2022 to October 6, 2023.
  • Thompson and De La Cruz-Mejia’s eight-match streaks are tied for the third-longest run in any Athletes Unlimited sport … Forward Maddy Siegrist holds the all-time mark with 11 straight Game MVP certificates during the 2025 AU Pro Basketball season, while guard Allisha Gray fashioned a nine-game streak during the 2024 AU Pro Basketball campaign.
• Thompson has reached the 300-point mark in 7-of-8 matches this season after compiling a match-high 398 leaderboard points on Saturday night … She was limited to a season-low 202 points in Thursday’s contest against Team McCage.
• Setter Sydney Hilley tallied 36 assists and a match-high 14 digs for her ninth career double-double, including her second double-double this season … She registered 41 assists and 16 digs in a double-double against Team Kingdon Rishel on October 5.
• Hilley finished with three solo blocks, tying her personal season high … She also had three rejections in the season opener against Team Hentz on October 3.
• Outside hitter Madi Kingdon Rishel moved into sole possession of sixth place on the league’s career Match MVP awards list after earning the 14th Match MVP citation of her career, including her fourth this season, with an MVP 3 selection on Saturday night.
• Kingdon Rishel also registered her 20th career double-digit kill performance after putting down 11 kills on Saturday … She also added five digs with two blocks en route to collecting 275 leaderboard points.
• Libero Justine Wong-Orantes finished with 10 or more digs for the third time this season after contributing 11 digs.
• Outside hitter Claire Hoffman notched her eighth career double-digit kill showing, including her fourth this season, after recording 10 kills against Team Valentin-Anderson.

Next Match: Sunday, October 26 vs. Team Cooper | 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT

MATCH MVPS

• #1 – Serena Gray (Team Valentin-Anderson), +60 points
• #2 – Jordan Thompson (Team Thompson), +40 points
• #3 – Madi Kingdon Rishel (Team Thompson), +20 points