Recap: Team Abercrombie Opens Week Two With Victory Over Team Caffey

Team Abercrombie moves to 1-0 in Week Two as opposite Brittany Abercrombie claimed her first victory as a team captain. Team Caffey, meanwhile, dips to 0-1 to start the new segment.

Abercrombie totaled a match-high 16 kills and 10 digs to earn MVP 1 honors and 278 leaderboard points, while libero Morgan Hentz boasted 21 digs and seven assists en route to MVP 2 plaudits and 272 leaderboard points.

Outside hitter Temi Thomas-Ailara rounded out the Match MVP recipients after garnering MVP 3 laurels. The AU newcomer tallied six kills with a pair of digs to earn 135 leaderboard points.

Setter Sydney Hilley registered a double-double with 40 assists and 10 digs in the victory for Team Abercrombie, while outside hitter Claire Hoffman also chipped in the first double-double of her Athletes Unlimited career with 11 kills and 10 digs.

Outside hitter Brooke Nuneviller paced Team Caffey in the loss with 11 kills, 10 digs and a solo block.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Team Abercrombie battled back from an early 5-0 deficit to win the first set, 25-17. Team Caffey overcame a four-point hole late in the second set for a 26-24 victory, trimming the match margin to 49-43.  Despite posting a second consecutive 26-24 set victory in the final frame, Team Caffey was unable to complete the comeback for the match verdict.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

Abercrombie moved into the top spot on the leaderboard with 1,328 points, while opposite Kelsie Payne jolted seven spots up the standings into fourth place. Hentz also climbed into the top five after moving up 12 places into the No. 5 position.

MATCH NOTES

• Caffey and Abercrombie, who made their debuts as a team captain on Friday night, faced each other as opposing captains for the first time in their Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball careers.

• Friday night’s opener marked the ninth time in AU Pro Volleyball’s four-year history where the winning team won a match despite losing two sets … Team Edmond was the last squad to accomplish the feat, losing 2-of-3 sets in a 73-71 victory over Team Hilley on October 27, 2023.

• Hentz, who now owns 509 career digs, joined libero Nomaris Vélez Agosto as the only players in Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball history to surpass 500 career digs … Vélez Agosto stands as the league’s career leader with 580 digs.

• Hentz tallied 15 or more digs for the 17th time in her AU Pro Volleyball career, extending her league record.

• Hentz surpassed 20 digs for the fourth time in her AU Pro Volleyball career, remaining the only player in league history with multiple career matches with 20 or more digs … It is the 11th time a player has tallied 20 or more digs in a match in the league’s four-year history.

• Middle blocker Molly McCage, who finished with a pair of solo blocks, became Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball’s all-time leader with 84 career rejections … The reigning AU Pro Volleyball Blocker of the Year surpassed Ali Bastianelli, who tallied 83 solo blocks in 124 career sets.

• Abercrombie reached double figures in kills for the fourth straight match to start her AU Pro Volleyball career.

• Nuneviller tallied 11 kills and 11 digs to register her 10th career double-double … She has posted a double-double in all four matches this season after recording six double-doubles last season.

• Libero Mary Lake led Team Caffey with 17 digs, marking the second time in four matches she has tallied 15 or more digs.

• Setter Madi Bugg compiled a season-high 28 assists in her first start of the season.

• Hilley, who became the first player to amass 40 or more assists in a match this season, reached the 40-assist plateau for the fifth time in her Athletes Unlimited career.

• Abercrombie, who garnered MVP 1 accolades for the second straight match, was named as a Match MVP for the fourth time in as many outings.

• Hentz claimed Match MVP honors for the 13th time in her AU Pro Volleyball career … She earned MVP 2 laurels for the seventh time, which stands as the second-highest total in the league’s four-year history.

• Thomas-Ailara authored the first Match MVP performance of her career.

• Abercrombie and outside hitter Paige Briggs-Romine each own a 4-0 match record, standing as the only players with four victories pending the result of Friday night’s second match between Team Nootsara and Team De La Cruz-Mejía.

MATCH MVPS

• #1 – Brittany Abercrombie (Team Abercrombie, +60)
• #2 – Morgan Hentz (Team Abercrombie, +40)
• #3 – Temi Thomas-Ailara (Team Caffey, +20)