Khat Bell, in her orange #18 AU Pro Volleyball jersey, raises her fist in the area celebrating a point on the court with fans behind her at Liberty First Credit Union Arena in Omaha, Nebraska.

Recap: Bell posts season-high 13 kills in Team Valentin-Anderson victory

Eric Rhew

Oct 12, 2025

OMAHA, Nebraska — Opposite Khat Bell and setter Natalia Valentin-Anderson each registered a double-double as Team Valentin-Anderson sprinted past Team Hoffman to secure a 75-64 AU Pro Volleyball Championship victory in the opening match of Sunday’s doubleheader at Liberty First Credit Union Arena.

KEY MOMENT

Team Valentin-Anderson used six kills from outside hitter Madi Kingdon Rishel and a .350 team hitting percentage in the opening set to pull ahead by a 25-23 count. The squad continued to extend its advantage with a 25-21 verdict in the middle stanza before nailing down the three-set sweep with a 25-20 result in the final frame.

LEADERBOARD UPDATE

Valentin-Anderson climbed three spots back into second place on the leaderboard after logging 336 points in Sunday’s victory. Kingdon Rishel, meanwhile, surged into 13th place in the league standings with a 17-spot improvement following her MVP 2 performance.

TEAM HOFFMAN NOTES

Opposite Brittany Abercrombie led Team Hoffman with a season-high 18 kills on Sunday, marking her fourth consecutive match with 10 or more kills … She has reached double figures in kills in 19-of-20 career outings, including all 15 contests last season.
Setter Micha Hancock has tallied 30 or more assists in each of her last three outings after closing Sunday’s opener with 34 assists.
Outside hitter Claire Hoffman, who dropped to 0-2 as a captain, registered a season-high 10 digs against Team Valentin-Anderson on Sunday … It is the fifth time she has posted double-digit digs in her two-year Athletes Unlimited career.
Libero Manami Kojima logged a season-high 16 digs to post her second straight match with 10 or more digs … Kojima has now notched 14 double-digit dig performances in her 20 career AU matches.

Next Match: Monday, October 13 vs. Team Hentz | 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT

TEAM VALENTIN-ANDERSON NOTES

Team Valentin-Anderson authored the fourth win points sweep in nine AU Pro Volleyball Championship matches this season … It also marks the 41st all-time win points sweep in the league’s five-year history.
Setter Natalia Valentin-Anderson won for just the third time in her last 12 matches as a team captain with Sunday’s victory … Valentin-Anderson now holds a 7-10 all-time mark as a captain.
Valentin-Anderson also recorded her first career win points sweep victory as a captain after losing six previous outings involving a sweep.
Outside hitter Bethania De La Cruz-Mejía established a new AU Pro Volleyball Championship record by appearing in her 183rd career set … De La Cruz-Mejía entered Sunday’s opener sharing the career mark with libero Nomaris Veléz Agosto, who played 182 sets over four seasons from 2021-24.
Outside hitter Madi Kingdon Rishel recorded her third consecutive double-digit kill effort after finishing Sunday’s match with 16 kills … The former Arizona standout has tallied 10 or more kills in 17-of-20 career matches across two seasons.
Kingdon Rishel compiled a season-high 370 leaderboard points in Sunday’s victory, marking her sixth career 300-point effort.
Kingdon Rishel received her 11th career Match MVP award, including her first honor this season, after claiming the MVP 2 citation.
Opposite Khat Bell, who secured MVP 1 honors and a season-high 376 leaderboard points, also set a personal season high with 13 kills against Team Valentin-Anderson on Sunday … Bell, who tallied 21 total kills in her first four matches this season, now owns 11 career double-digit kill efforts in two seasons.
Bell also registered her third career double-double after contributing a season-high 11 digs … Bell has finished with 10 or more digs in three of her last four fixtures.
Bell has now crossed the 300-point threshold in a match four times during her Athletes Unlimited career.
Valentin-Anderson surpassed 30 assists in a match for the fourth time in five matches after dishing out 37 assists on Sunday … She also increased her career total to 1,818 assists, which stands as the league’s all-time record.
Valentin-Anderson also fashioned the 34th double-double of her Athletes Unlimited career, extending her league record … She has posted a double-double in 3-of-5 matches this season, which paces the league.
Valentin-Anderson closed Sunday’s victory with 336 leaderboard points, giving her 10 career matches with 300 or more points.
Valentin-Anderson earned her 13th career Match MVP award after garnering MVP 3 status, moving her into sole possession of sixth place on the league’s all-time chart.
Middle blocker Sophie Fischer set a season high with six solo blocks against Team Hoffman on Sunday, which are also the most by any player in the league this season … Her previous season high was five solo blocks against Team De La Cruz-Mejía in the season opener on October 3.