Temi Thomas-Ailara goes up to hit the volleyball over the net during a AU Pro Volleyball Championship match

Recap: Cooper, Thomas-Ailara lead team to 70-59 victory

Eric Rhew

Oct 30, 2025

MADISON, Wisconsin — Outside hitter Reagan Cooper tallied a season-high 22 kills and opposite Temi Thomas-Ailara added eight kills with 14 digs as Team Cooper surged past Drews in the final set for a 70-59 victory to begin Thursday’s AU Pro Volleyball Championship doubleheader at Veterans Memorial Coliseum at the Alliant Energy Center

KEY MOMENT

Team Cooper led by just two points (45-43) after the second set before pulling away in the final frame with a 25-16 result, which included a 9-0 scoring run. Cooper smashed nine of her 22 kills during the deciding set, while limiting Team Drews to a .111 hitting percentage.

LEADERBOARD UPDATE

Cooper remains in second place on the leaderboard with 2,580 points, while outside hitter Dani Drews holds the No. 3 position despite the loss. Thomas-Ailara rose 13 spots in the league standings and ranks 22nd with 1,300 total points after her MVP 2 performance on Thursday.

TEAM DREWS NOTES

Teams wearing the Blue jersey have lost their last six matches in a row after Team Drews’ 70-59 setback on Thursday … The Blue jersey owns a 2-8 record after Thursday’s opener.
Outside hitter Dani Drews registered her 10th consecutive double-digit kill performance in Thursday’s Week Four opener after pacing her team with 14 kills … Drews and opposite Jordan Thompson are the only players in the league with 10 or more kills in every match this season.
Drews also moved into second place on the league’s career kills chart, passing outside hitter Leah Edmond … Drews now has 523 kills in her three-year AU Pro Volleyball Championship career.
Drews earned her seventh Match MVP award this season after earning MVP 3 distinction … She also moved into a tie with libero Morgan Hentz for second place on the league’s career Match MVP list with her 19th all-time certificate.
Drews, who slipped to 5-14 all-time as a captain, has dropped 12 of her last 13 contests as a team leader dating back to 2022.
Opposite Brittany Abercrombie recorded 10 or more digs for the fifth time this season after compiling 14 digs on Thursday.
Libero Piyanut Pannoy has posted 10 or more digs in 7-of-10 matches this season after ending Thursday’s opener with 18 digs.
Setter Micha Hancock dished out 38 assists against Team Cooper, marking the fifth time she has tallied 30 or more assists in a match this season … She narrowly missed a double-double after adding nine digs.
Outside hitter Natália Zilio Pereira contributed 13 kills against Team Cooper on Thursday, giving her four double-digit kill outcomes in 10 matches this season.
Zilio Pereira also chipped in 11 digs to post the first double-double of her AU Pro Volleyball Championship career.
Setter Marlie Monserez had her seven-match personal win streak snapped with Thursday’s loss.
Middle blocker Tori Dixon, who lost for the fifth time in six matches after a 4-0 start, saw her string of four consecutive matches with three or more blocks snapped after registering just one rejection against Team Cooper.

Next Match: Saturday, November 1 vs. Team Thompson | 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT

TEAM COOPER NOTES

Teams wearing the Orange jersey have won five of their last six matches, including the last four outings in a row … The Orange jersey has compiled a 6-4 record after Team Cooper’s victory on Thursday night.
Outside hitter Reagan Cooper, who improved to 4-0 as a captain this season, authored her eighth double-digit kill effort in 10 matches after ending play with a season-high 22 kills against Team Drews.
Cooper also became the fourth player this season to register 20 or more kills in a season, joining Drews, opposite Jordan Thompson and outside hitter Madi Kingdon Rishel.
- There have now been 10 different players to record a match with 20 or more kills in league history.
Cooper collected her sixth Match MVP award this season, including her fifth MVP 1 commendation … She has earned Match MVP recognition in three consecutive outings.
Cooper has surpassed 200 leaderboard points in seven of her last eight matches after accumulating a season-high 377 points against Team Drews … It also marked her third match with 300 or more points this season.
Opposite Temi Thomas-Ailara tallied 10 or more digs for the sixth time in her AU Pro Volleyball Championship career, including the second time this year.
Thomas-Ailara closed Thursday’s victory with 316 leaderboard points, marking her second outing with 300 points this season … She had 319 leaderboard points against Team Hentz on October 13.
Setter Sydney Hilley fashioned her 11th career double-double, including her fourth double-double this season, after registering 33 assists with 15 digs against Team Drews on Thursday.
Hilley has now collected 30 or more assists in a match 30 times in her AU Pro Volleyball Championship career, including six times this season.
Libero Manami Kojima finished with 12 digs on Thursday night, marking her seventh double-digit dig performance in 10 outings this season.
Middle blocker Taylor Sandbothe has won five consecutive matches after opening the season with a 1-4 mark.