Recap: Team Hilley secures victory, sweeps win points behind all-around team effort

Eric Rhew

Oct 15, 2023

MESA, Arizona — Team Hilley’s game plan against Team Linnehan may have been different from the one the squad used in its win on Friday night against Team Edmond. But, the result still came out to be the same.

The squad received six or more kills from five different players, including a match-high 13 kills from rookie outside hitter Claire Chaussee, to hand Team Linnehan a 75-53 decision in the opening match of Sunday’s Athletes Unlimited Volleyball doubleheader at Legacy Park.

The win upped Team Hilley’s record to 2-0, while Team Linnehan suffered its second straight setback to begin Week Two.

Chaussee, who notched a season-high 24 kills in Friday’s victory, secured her second consecutive MVP 1 accolade after tallying 13 kills with 12 digs for her second double-double of the season and 352 leaderboard points.

Hilley, meanwhile, followed with MVP 2 distinction after piling up 38 assists and four digs to give her 282 leaderboard points.

Middle blocker Kayla Caffey finished the MVP trio after securing seven kills and a .556 hitting percentage. Caffey, who also tallied a match-high five blocks, closed the match with a season-high 309 leaderboard points.

Opposite Willow Johnson paced Team Linnehan with 11 kills and nine digs, while middle blocker Kaz Brown chipped in eight kills. Libero Kendall White fashioned a match-high and personal season-high 16 digs in the setback.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Team Hilley surged to a 25-17 lead in the opening set as Chaussee and Pressley combined for eight kills and seven digs. Team Hilley extended its match advantage to 50-35 in the middle set by using eight combined kills from outside hitter Aury Cruz and middle blocker Kayla Caffey. The squad put the finishing touches on the sweep with a 25-18 verdict in the final frame.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

Team Hilley’s sweep allowed Hilley and Chaussee to catapult their way to the top of the leaderboard in first and second places, respectively, pending the result of the match between Team Hentz and Team Edmond. Caffey, meanwhile, rose 12 spots in the league standings and holds 11th place with 856 points.

MATCH NOTES

Team Hilley and Team Linnehan combined to register four service aces in Sunday’s opener, increasing the league’s season total to 46 aces through nine matches … Aspiration is committed to planting 10 trees for every service ace this season as part of its ‘Aspiration Aces’ initiative.
Team Hilley authored the 21st win points sweep in Athletes Unlimited Volleyball history with its 22-point victory, including the fifth sweep this season … The 75-53 verdict also marked the third-largest margin of victory in the league’s three-year history.
Team Hilley became the sixth team to win a match by 20 or more points in league history, including the third squad this season.
The Purple jersey remained perfect on the season after securing its fifth consecutive victory … Meanwhile, the Orange jersey has dropped eight straight outings dating back to last season.
Opposite Symone Abbott made her Athletes Unlimited debut in the second set for Team Linnehan … Middle blocker Blake Mohler also made her Athletes Unlimited debut for Team Linnehan in the third set.
White recorded 15 or more digs for the first time in her Athletes Unlimited career. She has registered 10 or more digs in four of her first matches to begin the season.
Chaussee, who posted her second double-double of the season, has tallied 10 or more kills in 3-of-5 matches this season, including 37 kills over the last two outings.
Outside hitter Yossiana Pressley set a season high with 14 digs in the win for Team Hilley, marking her second straight double-digit dig performance.
Libero Amanda Benson, who climbed the leaderboard by 17 spots in the win on Sunday night, has posted 10 or more digs in her last three outings after ending the match with a season-high 13 digs.
Hilley has tallied 30 or more assists in 4-of-5 matches this season.
Johnson owns seven efforts with 10 or more kills in her Athletes Unlimited career, including four this season.