Recap: Member-Meneh, De La Cruz-Mejía Lead Sweep of Team Nootsara, 79-62

De La Cruz-Mejía and Member-Meneh combined to tally 25 kills with 12 digs in the victory. De La Cruz-Mejía, the match’s MVP 1 honoree, tallied 12 kills with four service aces to compile 343 leaderboard points. Member-Meneh, meanwhile, fashioned a team-high 13 kills with eight digs to garner MVP 2 recognition and 324 leaderboard points.

Setter Natalia Valentin-Anderson completed the Match MVP sweep, earning MVP 3 accolades and a season-high 364 leaderboard points after dishing out 31 assists with a season-high 19 digs.

Middle blocker Kayla Haneline added six kills with a .500 hitting percentage, two solo blocks, and three block assists, while libero Manami Kojima tallied 19 digs to tie Valentin-Anderson for match-high honors.

Outside hitter Madi Kingdon Rishel paced Team Nootsara in the loss with a match-high 17 kills, while opposite Khat Bell chipped in 10 kills with eight digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Team De La Cruz-Mejía hit a blistering .481 in the opening set to sprint past Team Nootsara, 25-12. Team De La Cruz-Mejía extended its match advantage to 51-36 after rallying to claim the middle frame, scoring 11 of the final 15 points for a 26-24 triumph.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

De La Cruz-Mejía owns the top spot on the leaderboard with an 81-point advantage over opposite Brittany Abercrombie, while Member-Meneh moved into third place following her 324-point outburst in the Week Two opener. Valentin-Anderson, meanwhile, elevated into sixth place with 845 points after rising nine spots in the league standings.

MATCH NOTES

• Setter Nootsara Tomkom and De La Cruz-Mejía met as opposing captains for the second time in their Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball careers … Tomkom claimed the inaugural affair with a 70-69 verdict on October 8, 2023.
• Team De La Cruz-Mejía authored the second win points sweep of the season … It is also the 28th win points sweep in Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball history … De La Cruz-Mejía has been on the winning side in seven of the league’s all-time win point sweeps.
• Team Nootsara’s 12 points in the opening set are the fewest scored by a team in a single frame this season.
• De La Cruz-Mejía, Member-Meneh, Haneline and Kojima all improved to 4-0 in matches this season, joining Abercrombie and outside hitter Paige Briggs-Romine as the only players without a loss.
• De La Cruz-Mejía earned Match MVP honors for the 31st time in her Athletes Unlimited career, including her 16th MVP 1 commendation … She joins Abercrombie as the only players in the league to receive MVP honors in all four matches this season.
• Valentin-Anderson authored the 23rd double-double of her Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball career, extending her league record.
• Valentin-Anderson has also tallied 20 or more assists in all 34 matches of her career, which stand as the most in league history … She also accumulated 30 or more assists for the 29th time in her three AU seasons, which also ranks first among all players on the league’s all-time list.
• Valentin-Anderson surpassed 400 digs for her Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball career, joining liberos Morgan Hentz and Nomaris Vélez Agosto as the only players in league history to reach that milestone.
• Valentin-Anderson earned the 10th Match MVP award of her career, becoming the seventh player in league history with 10 or more career Match MVP certificates.
• De La Cruz-Mejía posted 10 or more kills for the 41st time in her Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball career, the most of any athlete in the league’s four-year history.
• Member-Meneh fashioned her second double-digit kill performance of the season after her season-high 13 kills on Friday night … She tallied 10 kills against Team Valentin-Anderson last Saturday.
• Kojima reached double figures in digs for the third time in four matches this season.
• Kingdon Rishel has posted 10 or more kills in all four matches this season.
• Bell posted 10 or more kills for the second time this season … She opened the campaign last Thursday with 12 kills against Team Valentin-Anderson.

MATCH MVPS

• #1 – Bethania De La Cruz-Mejía (Team De La Cruz-Mejía, +60)
• #2 – Natalia Valentin-Anderson (Team De La Cruz-Mejía, +40)
• #3 – Leketor Member-Meneh (Team De La Cruz-Mejía, +20)