Team Drews

Leah Edmond, Dani Drews lead Team Drews to 75-66 victory

© Athletes Unlimited, LLC 2022 / Credit: Jade Hewitt Media
Eric Rhew
Mar 30, 2022

DALLAS — Outside hitters Leah Edmond and Dani Drews combined for 31 kills and 28 digs as Team Drews opened Week Three of the 2022 Athletes Unlimited Volleyball season with a 75-66 victory over Team Lowe at Fair Park Coliseum on Wednesday evening.

Team Drews, which won the match by set scores of 25-27, 25-21 and 25-18, saw three different players register a double-double in the victory. Edmond fashioned a match-high 18 kills to go with 12 digs, while Drews added 13 kills with a season-high 16 digs. Setter Natalia Valentin-Anderson added a double-double with 41 assists and 14 digs.

Opposite hitter Karsta Lowe paced her squad in the loss with 16 kills and a match-high 21 digs, while setter Alisha Childress added 34 assists and 12 digs. Outside hitter Madison Villines nearly fashioned a double-double with nine kills and nine digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Led by a combined 18 kills from Villines, Stalzer and Lowe, Team Lowe overcame an early deficit in the opening set to secure a 27-25 victory. Team Drews rebounded in the second set and used five kills from Edmond to earn a 25-21 verdict and take a 50-48 advantage in the overall match. Edmond continued her strong play in the third set with six kills and six digs as Team Drews completed the comeback with a 25-18 decision.

MATCH NOTES

  • Drews evened her record as a captain this season at 2-2, while Lowe is 1-3 … Lowe also dropped to 4-9 all-time as a team captain.

  • Lowe extended her streak of consecutive matches with 10 or more kills to 22 in a row … She has posted a double-digit kill performance in every match of her Athletes Unlimited career.

  • Lowe also registered her fourth straight double-double in the loss with her 16 kills and 21 digs … The 21 digs are the most by an Athletes Unlimited Volleyball athlete this season and also mark the third-highest total in league history … Kristen Tupac owns the record with 24 digs against Team Larson on Mar. 28, 2021, while Brie King had 22 digs against Team Edmond on Mar. 13, 2021.

  • Valentin-Anderson has three double-doubles in her last four matches … She is tied for the league lead with Lowe with four double-doubles this season.

  • Drews finished with her second double-double of the season after her 13 kills and 16 digs … She also had a double-double against Team Cruz during Week One.

  • Childress earned her first double-double of the season with 34 assists and 12 digs.

  • Edmond manufactured the fourth double-double of her Athletes Unlimited career, including her second this season … Edmond’s 12 digs were also a season high.

  • Team Lowe finished with 73 digs in the match, marking the third time in league history a team has tallied 70  or more digs in a match … Team Larson set the record with 79 digs against Team Edmond on Mar. 13, 2021.

MATCH MVPS

  • #1 – Morgan Hentz (Team Drews, +60)
  • #2 – Leah Edmond (Team Drews, +40)
  • #3 – Dani Drews (Team Drews, +20)

POINT-EARNERS

Led by Edmond and Drews, Team Drews secured 140 of the 180 possible win points. Edmond led all athletes with a season-high 360 points, while Drews followed with 350 points, including a match-high 190 stat points. Lowe paced her team in the loss with 176 points, including 136 stat points.

Join the Unlimited Club

Unlock exclusive benefits with your FREE membership

Benefits

  • Follow Your Favorite Sports
  • Enjoy Virtual Fan Events
  • Chat on the Community Board
  • Vote for Game MVP, Seasonal Awards 
  • Play in the AU Fantasy League

...and more