Recap: Nuneviller, De La Cruz combine for 30 kills in Team Nuneviller victory
Team Linnehan avoids sweep with third set win
MESA, Arizona — Outside hitters Brooke Nuneviller and Bethania De La Cruz teamed up to register 30 kills with 20 digs as Team Nuneviller secured a 75-63 victory over Team Linnehan in the opening match of Sunday’s Athletes Unlimited Volleyball doubleheader at Legacy Park.
The win allowed Team Nuneviller to improve to 1-1, while Team Linnehan dipped to 1-1 in the final week of the season.
Nuneviller, who collected MVP 1 notice for the third time this season, notched a double-double of 12 kills and 12 digs to claim 369 leaderboard points. De La Cruz, meanwhile, added a match-high 18 kills while chipping in eight digs en route to garnering MVP 2 notice and 300 leaderboard points.
Middle blocker Molly McCage paced Team Linnehan with 12 kills and a .500 hitting percentage, earning the match’s MVP 3 distinction. Outside hitter Alli Linnehan tied McCage for team-high honors with 12 kills and just missed a double-double with nine digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Team Nuneviller surged to an early 25-14 advantage after hitting a blistering .500 in the opening set with just one attack error. The squad upped its cushion to 50-36 after securing a 25-22 verdict in the middle frame on the strength of five kills from Nuneviller. Team Linnehan salvaged the final set with a 27-25 triumph, but it was not enough to win the match.
LEADERBOARD IMPACT
Linnehan retains second place on the league leaderboard and stands just 19 points behind outside hitter Leah Edmond, but Edmond will have a chance to extend the advantage in the second match of Sunday’s twinbill. Nuneviller, meanwhile, moved into third place but leads libero Morgan Hentz by just 129 points.
MATCH NOTES
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Team Nuneviller and Team Linnehan combined to register four service aces in the first match of Sunday’s doubleheader, elevating the league’s season total to 138 aces through 27 matches … Aspiration is committed to planting 10 trees for every ace this season as part of its ‘Aspiration Aces’ initiative.
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Nuneviller reached 300 or more leaderboard points for the fourth time this season after her 369-point performance on Sunday … She also registered her fifth double-double of the campaign.
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Setter Nootsara Tomkom fashioned the 16th double-double of her Athletes Unlimited career, including her seventh this season, after collecting 35 assists with a career-high 18 digs.
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De La Cruz posted her 22nd consecutive double-digit kill effort with the match-high 18 kills on Sunday … She has now registered 10 or more kills in 36-of-40 contests in her Athletes Unlimited career.
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Setter Nicole Edelman-Cagliari registered a season-high 14 digs in the victory for Team Nuneviller.
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McCage authored her third double-digit kill performance of the season after her 12-kill effort on Sunday … She also hit .500 or better for the third time this season.
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Setter Sydney Hilley recorded 30+ assists for a league-high 12th time this season after dishing out 44 assists … It also marked the fourth time she has reached the 40-assist mark this season.
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After recording 10 or more kills just once in her first six matches, Linnehan has rattled off eight consecutive double-digit kill efforts with her 12-kill performance on Sunday.
MATCH MVPS
- #1 – Brooke Nuneviller (Team Nuneviller, +60)
- #2 – Bethania De La Cruz (Team Nuneviller, +40)
- #3 – Molly McCage (Team Linnehan, +20)
