Recap: McCage, Edmond lead team to victory over Team Linnehan to close out Week 2

Eric Rhew

Oct 16, 2023

MESA, Arizona — Middle blocker Molly McCage and outside hitter Leah Edmond combined for 25 kills and 19 digs as Team Edmond rallied to defeat Team Linnehan by a 69-63 count to conclude Week Two of the Athletes Unlimited Volleyball season at Legacy Park on Monday evening.

The win allowed Team Edmond to end the week with a 1-2 record, while Team Linnehan dropped to 0-3.

McCage earned MVP 1 honors and 332 leaderboard points after hitting .474 with a season-high 10 kills and just one attack error on 19 attempts. Edmond, meanwhile, tallied a match-high 15 kills and added 14 digs to secure MVP 3 distinction along with 341 leaderboard points.

Making her season debut, outside hitter Deja McClendon came off the bench to contribute 11 digs and five kills. The former Penn State star received MVP 2 plaudits and 249 leaderboard points for her efforts.

Opposite Willow Johnson accumulated 11 kills in the loss for Team Linnehan, while setter Taylor Bruns Tegenrot dished out 29 assists with four kills.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Team Linnehan used 14 kills and an impressive .394 hitting percentage in the opening set to hold off Team Edmond for a 25-19 verdict. However, Team Edmond answered by taking the final two sets for the six-point match victory.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

With the absence of Bethania De La Cruz in Week Three due to being called up for national team duty with the Dominican Republic at the Pan American Games, Edmond will be the Gold team captain for the second week in a row. Libero Morgan Hentz and setter Sydney Hilley will also repeat as captains, while middle blocker Jenna Rosenthal makes her debut as a team captain by leading the Purple squad.

MATCH NOTES

Team Edmond and Team Linnehan combined to post seven service aces in the Week Two finale on Monday night, moving the league’s season total to 70 aces through 12 matches … Aspiration is committed to planting 10 trees for every service ace this season as part of its ‘Aspiration Aces’ initiative.
Setter Alisha Childress authored her second double-double of the season with 39 assists and 14 digs … She has also recorded 30 or more assists in all six matches this year and paces the league with 241 assists through the first six matches.
Edmond secured her third double-double of the season … She has also tallied 15 or more kills in four of her six outings, including four of the last five appearances.
McClendon recorded double-digit digs for the sixth time in her Athletes Unlimited career.
Libero Nomaris Vélez Agosto extended her league record with the 29th double-digit dig performance of her Athletes Unlimited career.
Johnson has posted 10 or more kills in five of her six matches this season, giving her eight career double-digit kill performances.
Outside hitter Maria Schlegel finished with a season-high 10 digs after collecting nine total digs over her first three appearances this season.
Libero Kendall White claimed her fifth double-digit dig performance of the campaign after notching a team-high 12 digs in the loss for Team Linnehan.
McCage owns seven career Athletes Unlimited matches with 10 or more kills.