Middles Appreciation Week: Celebrating the Blockers Who’ve Shaped AU Pro Volleyball
Over four years of Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball, 35 middles have taken the court and held things down at the net, and we think they deserve a little special appreciation. We’re declaring this week Middles Appreciation Week, and we’re celebrating the position all week long.
The middle blocker position isn’t always glamorous. It’s comprised of nonstop action… blocking, attacking, transitioning on and off the net again and again and again… and even their biggest contributions don’t always show up on a stat sheet. (Can we get a stat category for faking out opposing blockers and securing one-on-one net matchups for pin hitters?)
Even so, middles — we see you, and this week, we’re giving you the flowers you deserve. Here are some of the players who’ve set the standard for AU Pro Volleyball middles, and whose names are tattooed in the AU record books:
Molly McCage represents the University of Texas and is one of the few to compete in all four (soon to be five) AU seasons (2021–2024). She owns the career solo block record with 115, and in 2024, she raised the bar with 40 solo blocks in a single season, a new record. That same year, in Week Three, she dropped 12 solo blocks in a single week, the most in AU play. Simply put: McCage owns the net.
Minnesota standout Tori Dixon showed out across the 2023 and 2024 seasons and will be back for more in 2025. Her blocking efficiency was unmatched in the assist categories. She now holds the career record for block assists with 55 and the single-season record with 33 in 2024.
Ali Bastianelli, out of the University of Illinois, made her presence known early in AU history with a dominant solo blocking performance – a record-setting 7 solo blocks in a single match on March 29, 2021, a mark that’s only ever been tied. She wasn’t done there. In 2022, she logged 33 solo blocks in a season, which still stands tied for third all-time. Bastianelli played three AU seasons from 2021 to 2023 and left a legacy that won’t be forgotten.
Kentucky alum Kaz Brown quietly delivered one of the most productive solo blocking seasons in AU history. In 2023, she tallied 33 solo blocks across the season, tying for third all-time. That stat equals Bastianelli and Lauren Gibbemeyer on the single-season leaderboard. She followed that season’s performance with 31 solo blocks in 2024 to also occupy the 6th place spot for the category.
Finally, Kayla Haneline, out of Northern Iowa, joined the ranks of AU’s solo block club in 2024. On October 21, she recorded 7 solo blocks in a match, tying the all-time record Bastianelli set back in 2021.
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All-Time AU Middles Roster:
| Anota Adekunle | Ali Bastianelli |
| Tina Boe | Kaz Brown |
| Kayla Caffey | Tess Clark |
| Cori Crocker | Tori Dixon |
| Shelly Fanning | Rachael Fara |
| Lauren Gibbemeyer | Nia Grant |
| Marin Grote | Kayla Haneline |
| Danielle Hart | Briana Holman |
| Lauren Lohman | Molly Lohman |
| Molly McCage | Ci Michel |
| Blake Mohler | Taylor Morgan |
| Berkeley Oblad | Lauren Page |
| Jenna Rosenthal | Taylor Sandbothe |
| Lauren Stivrins | Ronika Stone |
| Lianna Sybeldon | Emily Thater |
| Karis Watson | M’Kaela White |
| Kristy Wieser | Emma Willis |
| Eri Xue |
Siera Jones is the digital media reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Instagram and X @sieraajones.
