Recap: Team De La Cruz-Mejía Outlasts Team Hentz in Wild Week Four Opener

Team De La Cruz-Mejía opens the penultimate week of the season with a 1-0 mark, while Team Hentz dips to 0-1.

Outside hitter Madi Kingdon Rishel led all players with 20 kills and registered 10 digs with four blocks to earn MVP 1 laurels and 305 leaderboard points, while outside hitter Temi Thomas-Ailara put down 18 kills with 12 digs to claim MVP 2 plaudits and 252 leaderboard points.

Libero Nomaris Vélez Agosto finished with a season-high 23 digs and garnered 239 leaderboard points to round out Match MVP honors.

Outside hitter Dani Drews posted 16 digs and eight digs, while outside hitter Bethania De La Cruz-Mejía put down 15 kills with a season-high 17 digs. Setter Madi Bugg pitched in 43 assists and nine digs in the victory.

Opposite Heydi Casanova registered a league-high 24 digs and pitched in nine kills in the loss for Team Hentz. Setter Natalia Valentin-Anderson also put forth a season-high effort by dishing out 46 assists with 12 digs, while libero and team captain Morgan Hentz picked up 16 digs in the loss.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Team Hentz held on to take the first set, 28-26, before Team De La Cruz-Mejía fired back with a 25-17 triumph in the second frame to take a 51-45 match lead. A marathon third set saw Team Hentz claim a 36-34 win, but Team De La Cruz-Mejía held on for the four-point match victory.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

De La Cruz-Mejía reclaimed the top spot on the leaderboard with 3,007 points, while Kingdon Rishel vaulted six places into third place with 2,200 points. Hentz and Valentin-Anderson round out the top five spots with 2,180 and 2,079 points, respectively.

MATCH NOTES

• Hentz and De La Cruz-Mejía faced each other as opposing captains for the second time in their Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball careers … De La Cruz-Mejía, who secured a victory in the duo’s first meeting during Week One earlier this season, now owns a 2-0 advantage in the all-time series.

• De La Cruz-Mejía ran her career captain’s record to 27-13, including an 8-2 mark this season.

• Hentz, meanwhile, falls to 8-8 as a team leader and has dropped seven of her last eight contests as a captain, including the last three in a row.

• The 166 combined points between the two sides established a new AU Pro Volleyball record, surpassing the previous mark of 164 points when Team Sheila edged Team Lowe by an 83-81 count on April 1, 2022.

• Team Hentz and Team De La Cruz-Mejía combined to score 70 points in the third set, marking the third-highest single-set score in the league’s four seasons … The record stands at 76 points during the third set between Team Sheila and Team Lowe on April 1, 2022.

• Valentin-Anderson has registered a double-double in 13 consecutive matches after notching her league-leading 10th double-double of the season … She also set a new league season high with her 46 assists against Team De La Cruz-Mejía on Friday night.

• Bugg dished out 30 or more assists for the first time this season after her season-high 43 assists on Friday night … She has tallied 25 or more assists in four of her last five outings.

• Kingdon Rishel, who set a league season high with her 20 kills against Team De La Cruz-Mejía, becomes the eighth player in league history to record 20 or more kills in a single match … She has also tallied 10 or more kills in 9-of-10 matches this season, including the last three in a row.

• Casanova’s 24 digs stand as the most by any player in a match this season and were just one shy of matching the league single-match record held by Hentz against Team De La Cruz-Mejía on October 6, 2023.

• Casanova and Vélez Agosto also become the third and fourth players to amass 20 or more digs in a match this season, joining Hentz and libero Manami Kojima … Casanova also becomes the 10th player in league history to accomplish the feat.

• Vélez Agosto, meanwhile, reached the 20-dig mark for the second time in her AU Pro Volleyball career … She tallied 22 digs against Team Drews on April 16, 2022.

• De La Cruz-Mejía has registered 10 or more kills in 33 consecutive matches dating back to the 2022 season … She also recorded a double-double for the 14th time in her AU Pro Volleyball career, including the fourth time this season.

• Thomas-Ailara authored the first double-double of her AU Pro Volleyball career … She also amassed 10 or more digs for the first time.

• Drews crossed the 15-kill mark for the ninth time in her AU Pro Volleyball career, the third-highest total in league history … She has also authored six double-digit kill efforts in 10 matches this season.

• Kingdon Rishel claimed Match MVP honors for the seventh time this season, including her third straight match … She is tied with De La Cruz-Mejía and opposite Brittany Abercrombie for the most Match MVP commendations this year.

• Thomas-Ailara garnered post-match laurels for the third time this season, including her second straight contest

• Vélez Agosto’s Match MVP selection was just the third of her career and the first this season … Her last Match MVP award came March 26, 2022, when she earned MVP 3 distinction against Team Drews.

MATCH MVPS

• #1 – Madi Kingdon Rishel (Team Hentz, +60)
• #2 – Temi Thomas-Ailara (Team Hentz, +40)
• #3 – Nomaris Vélez Agosto (Team De La Cruz-Mejía, +20)