Recap: Chaussee leads Team Hilley to victory with 24 kills over Team Edmond

Eric Rhew

Oct 13, 2023

MESA, Arizona — There has been something about playing on Friday night for rookie outside hitter Claire Chaussee during the first two weeks of the Athletes Unlimited Volleyball season.

After opening her Athletes Unlimited career with 16 kills against Team Valentin-Anderson last Friday night, the former Louisville star erupted for 24 kills and a .380 hitting percentage to guide Team Hilley to a 74-62 victory over Team Edmond to close the opening night of Week Two at Legacy Park.

Chaussee, who racked up 425 leaderboard points in the victory, secured her second Match MVP award of the season after adding five digs with two blocks and a service ace to go with her impressive offensive effort.

Fellow newcomer Yossiana Pressley followed with an MVP 2 commendation after notching eight kills without an error on 16 attempts in addition to adding 10 digs, allowing the former Baylor star to finish with a season-high 294 leaderboard points.

Team captain Sydney Hilley authored 41 assists in addition to two digs and three kills to receive MVP 3 honors, giving the first-time captain 235 leaderboard points.

Outside hitters Katie Lukes and Leah Edmond combined to register 30 kills and 16 digs in the loss for Team Edmond, while setter Alisha Childress fashioned 40 assists.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Team Hilley used a stellar hitting performance in the first set, including six kills from Chaussee, to take an early 25-15 lead over Team Edmond. Eight kills from outside hitter Katie Lukes allowed Team Edmond to battle back in the second set, trimming the margin to 49-41 after a 26-24 set verdict. Team Hilley responded to secure the match victory with a 25-21 triumph in the final frame.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

Chaussee elevated her position on the leaderboard by five points following her 425-point outburst on Friday night, rising to sixth place with 1,003 points. Edmond remains the overall leader with 1,217 points, while Hilley holds fourth place with 1,115 leaderboard points.

MATCH NOTES

Team Edmond and Team Hilley combined to register five service aces in Friday’s nightcap, increasing the league’s total to 42 aces through eight matches … Aspiration is committed to planting 10 trees for every service ace this season as part of its ‘Aspiration Aces’ initiative.
The Purple jersey owns a perfect 4-0 record this season after Team Hilley’s victory on Friday night … Team Edmond authored a 3-0 record in Week One while donning the Purple jersey.
Chaussee becomes the seventh player in league history to record 20 or more kills in a match … In addition, her 24 kills stand as the fourth-highest single-match total in the league record book.
Chaussee, who is the eighth player in league history to reach 400 leaderboard points in a match in league history, registered 300 or more leaderboard points for the second time in four matches this season … She opened her career with 393 points against Team Valentin-Anderson last Friday night.
Hilley accrued 40 or more assists for the second time this season … She also notched 46 assists in the season opener against Team De La Cruz last Friday night.
Childress became the first player in Athletes Unlimited Volleyball history to earn 40 or more assists in four straight matches … She had previously shared the honor with Nootsara Tomkom of being the only players in league history with three straight 40-assist performances.
Lukes, who had registered just 13 kills in her first three matches this season, fashioned the first double-digit kill performance of her Athletes Unlimited career after finishing the night with 16 kills and a .317 hitting percentage.
Pressley, who rose 14 spots up the leaderboard in Friday’s victory, had tallied just nine digs in her first three matches before accumulating 10 digs against Team Edmond for her first double-digit dig performance in Athletes Unlimited play.
Outside hitter Aury Cruz matched Edmond for match-high honors with 13 digs, marking the 12th time she has recorded 10 or more digs in her three-year Athletes Unlimited career.
Libero Amanda Benson has 16 career matches with 10 or more digs after closing Friday’s contest with 12 digs for Team Hilley.
Libero Nomaris Velez Agosto extended her league record with the 27th career double-digit dig performance after notching 11 digs in the loss for Team Edmond.
Edmond posted her second double-double of the season after collecting 14 kills with a season-high 13 digs … It is also the seventh double-double of her Athletes Unlimited career.