Recap: Team Effort Propels Team Abercrombie Past Team Drews

Ryan Legarsky

Oct 19, 2024

MESA, Arizona — Team Abercrombie used strong performances from opposite Brittany Abercrombie, libero Morgan Hentz, setter Alisha Childress and outside hitter Temi Thomas-Ailara to move past Team Drews, 75-68, in the second match of Friday night’s Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball doubleheader at Arizona Athletic Grounds.

Team Abercrombie moves to 1-0 after winning its Week Three opener, while Team Drews slides to 0-1.

Abercrombie dialed up a match-high 15 kills on a .324 hitting percentage with 14 digs to claim MVP 1 plaudits and 355 leaderboard points. Hentz, meanwhile, garnered MVP 2 honors following a 17-dig performance to receive 272 points.

Childress, who made her first start of the season, earned MVP 3 distinction and 274 leaderboard points after a season-best performance that saw her dish out 40 assists with 10 digs, three blocks and a pair of kills.

Thomas-Ailara posted her first double-digit kill effort of the season with 13 kills while contributing six digs and a pair of blocks in Team Abercrombie’s victory, while outside hitter Lindsey Vander Weide put down seven kills with a pair of service aces, 10 digs and a solo block.

Middle blocker Molly McCage chipped in five solo blocks, four block assists and seven kills for Team Abercrombie.

Outside hitter Dani Drews paced her squad with 11 kills and seven digs in the loss, while libero Mary Lake registered a team-high 15 digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Team Abercrombie opened up a 25-21 lead in the opening frame and advanced the lead to 50-41 after the middle frame. Team Drews took the final set, 27-25, but could not overcome the deficit.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

Abercrombie remains in the top position on the leaderboard following the opening night of Week Three with 2,430 points, while Childress and Thomas-Ailara each jumped six places in the standings.

MATCH NOTES

Abercrombie and Drews met as opposing captains for the first time in their Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball careers.
Abercrombie stays perfect as an AU Pro Volleyball captain with a 4-0 record.
Drews has now dropped each of her last seven matches as a team captain … She stands at 4-9 as a team leader in her Athletes Unlimited career.
Abercrombie holds the distinction of being the only player without a loss this season after running her record to 7-0.
Abercrombie notched her league-high fourth double-double of the season … She also paces the league with 15 or more kills in all seven matches.
Childress reached the 40-assist mark for the seventh time in her AU Pro Volleyball career … She also tallied her ninth career Athletes Unlimited double-double, which is tied for eighth-most in league history.
Setter Sydney Hilley surpassed 20 assists for the 21st time in her AU Pro Volleyball career, which ranks as the fourth-highest total on the league’s all-time ledger.
Drews finished with 10 or more kills for the 19th time in her two-year AU Pro Volleyball career, moving her into fourth place on the league’s all-time chart.
Hentz fashioned her 19th AU Pro Volleyball match with 15 or more digs, upping her all-time lead … She leads the league with 116 digs through seven matches.
Lake registered 15 or more digs for the third time this season.
Vander Weide crossed double figures in digs for the fourth time in her Athletes Unlimited career, including the third time this season.
McCage, AU Pro Volleyball’s career leader in solo blocks, notched her second consecutive match with five rejections … She has tallied a league-high 23 blocks through seven matches.
Abercrombie received Match MVP honors for the seventh consecutive contest, which is tied for the second-longest streak in AU Pro Volleyball history.
Hentz moved into a tie for third on the AU Pro Volleyball all-time charter with her 14th career match MVP commendation.
Childress fashioned the fourth Match MVP performance of her career, including her first award this season.