Recap: Fast Start Sends Team Nuneviller Past Team Hentz for 66-60 Victory
MESA, Arizona — The trio of outside hitters Brooke Nuneviller and Lindsey Vander Weide and opposite Kelsie Payne combined for 34 kills as Team Nuneviller sprinted to an early lead en route to a 66-60 triumph over Team Hentz to close Sunday’s Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball action at Arizona Athletic Grounds.
The victory allowed Team Nuneviller to even its record at 1-1, while Team Hentz dipped to 1-1 with the setback.
Payne and Nuneviller each collected 12 kills apiece to secure Match MVP honors in the victory. Payne garnered MVP 2 laurels and 306 leaderboard points after hitting .367 with just one attack error on 30 swings. Nuneviller, meanwhile, authored a double-double with her 12 kills and 14 digs to receive MVP 3 plaudits.
Setter Sydney Hilley claimed MVP 1 honors after dishing out a match-high 39 assists with three digs, earning the former Wisconsin standout 242 leaderboard points.
Vander Weide chipped in 10 kills in the victory for Team Nuneviller, which registered a .244 team-hitting percentage.
Middle blocker Jenna Rosenthal paced Team Hentz in the loss with nine kills without an error on 13 attempts, while setter Marlie Monserez posted 23 assists. Captain Morgan Hentz added a team-high 11 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Payne and Nuneviller combined for 11 kills in the opening set as Team Nuneviller surged to a 25-16 advantage. The duo added nine more kills in the middle frame to secure a 25-19 set victory and extend Team Nuneviller’s match cushion to 50-35. Team Hentz salvaged the third set with a 25-16 outcome to prevent a three-set sweep.
LEADERBOARD IMPACT
Payne surged into eighth place on the leaderboard with a 23-spot improvement following Sunday’s victory, while Nuneviller holds sixth place in the league standings following her eight-spot rise. Vander Weide also entered the top-10 after moving up 15 spots.
MATCH NOTES
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Sunday’s nightcap marked the second all-time meeting between Hentz and Nuneviller as opposing captains … Nuneviller has won both affairs, including a 70-63 decision in Week Five last season.
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Hentz has lost five of her last six matches as a team captain with Sunday’s verdict … The two-time reigning AU Pro Volleyball Defensive Player of the Year now owns an 8-6 career record as a team leader.
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Nuneviller, who upped her career captain record to 3-2, has tallied 10 or more kills in 13-of-17 career matches after closing Sunday’s victory with 12 kills … She also posted the eighth double-double of her AU career.
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Vander Weide owns six double-digit kill performances in her Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball career after her 10-kill performance against Team Hentz.
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Hilley moved into a tie for fourth place in Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball history after collecting 30 or more assists for the 14th time in her 17 career matches.
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Hilley also earned the first MVP 1 certificate of her Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball career … She has been honored as a Match MVP six times.
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Hentz posted 10 or more digs for the 30th time in her three-year Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball career, including the 16th time in her last 17 outings … She stands second in league history for most double-digit dig performances, trailing libero Nomaris Vélez Agosto’s 38 instances.
MATCH MVPS
- #1 – Sydney Hilley (Team Nuneviller, +60)
- #2 – Kelsie Payne (Team Nuneviller, +40)
- #3 – Brooke Nuneviller (Team Nuneviller, +20)
