Recap: Team Effort Guides Team Drews to 70-66 Victory

Ryan Legarsky

Nov 04, 2024

MESA, Arizona — The trio of outside hitter Dani Drews, opposite Sherridan Atkinson and middle blocker Molly McCage combined for 41 kills as Team Drews downed Team Kingdon Rishel to begin the final match day of the 2024 Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball season on Monday night at Arizona Athletic Grounds.

Team Drews finishes the week with a 1-2 record, while Team Kingdon Rishel closes the campaign at 1-2.

Drews registered 17 kills with 11 digs and a solo block to claim MVP 1 honors and 363 leaderboard points, while Atkinson returned to the starting lineup and produced a 14-kill effort on the way to MVP 2 plaudits and a season-high 293 leaderboard points.

Outside hitter Madi Kingdon Rishel paced her squad with 19 kills and 12 digs in the loss and was selected MVP 3 to finish the night with 281 leaderboard points.

Libero Nomaris Vélez Agosto paced Team Drews with a match-high 22 digs, while setter Natalia Valentin-Anderson pitched in 46 assists and 16 digs in the victory. McCage, meanwhile, put down 10 kills with a pair of solo blocks.

Setter Sydney Hilley dished out 31 assists with 17 digs for Team Kingdon Rishel in the loss.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Team Drews earned its first set win of the week with a 25-22 triumph to begin the match, but Team Kingdon Rishel responded by taking the second frame, 25-20, to claim a 47-45 match advantage. Team Drews battled to a 25-19 edge in the final set to earn the match victory, 70-66.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

Kingdon Rishel moves back into the No. 3 spot on the leaderboard with 3,400 points and holds a 208-point advantage over Drews, who rose into the fourth position with 3,192 points.

MATCH NOTES

Drews and Kingdon Rishel faced each other as opposing captains for the first time in their Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball careers.
Drews, who is now 5-13 in her career as a team leader, earned her first win as a captain since a 73-66 triumph over Team Sheilla on April 2, 2022, snapping an 11-match skid.
Kingdon Rishel surpassed 15 kills for the ninth time this season and tallied 10 or more kills in 14-of-15 contests … She completed her first AU season with 232 kills, the second-highest single-season total in league history …. Outside hitter Bethania De La Cruz-Mejía owns the league’s top mark with 233 kills in 2022.
Kingdon Rishel registered her fourth double-double of the year.
Hilley tallied 30 or more assists for the 24th time in her AU Pro Volleyball career, including the 11th instance this season … She also registered her fourth double-double this season.
Libero Mary Lake registered 10 or more digs for the 12th time in 15 matches this season.
Vélez Agosto accumulated 20 or more digs for the third time in her AU Pro Volleyball career, including the second instance this season … She joins libero Morgan Hentz as the only players in league history with multiple 20-dig efforts in a single season.
Drews, who matched her season high with 17 kills, recorded the 11th double-double of her AU career, including the sixth instance this year.
Valentin-Anderson dished out 40 or more assists for the 14th time in her Athletes Unlimited career, extending her league record.
Valentin-Anderson also upped her all-time league standard with the 31st double-double in her three seasons … She also compiled a league-best 12 double-doubles this season.
Kingdon Rishel finishes the season with 10 Match MVP selections, becoming the fifth player in league history to tally double-digit MVP performances in a single season.