Recap: Team Lichtman secures first Golden Set victory in league history

After dropping the third set by a 25-18 margin to force an extra set, Team Lichtman hit .364 with five kills and no errors in extra time to claim a 78-76 victory over Team Valentin-Anderson.

Team Lichtman, which closed the final week with a 2-1 record, won the match by set scores of 25-20, 28-26, 18-25 and 7-5. Team Valentin-Anderson, meanwhile, dropped to 1-2 with its second consecutive loss.

Outside hitter Cassidy Lichtman captained her team to the victory with nine kills and a career-high 18 digs, while outside hitter Jamie Peterson notched a career-high 17 kills with seven digs. Setter Alisha Childress chipped in 35 assists and 10 digs, while libero Morgan Hentz tallied a match-high 21 digs.

Outside hitters Lindsay Stalzer and Madison Villines combined to register 21 kills, while Villines added a team-high 17 digs in the loss for Team Valentin-Anderson, which was held to just a .142 hitting percentage. Team captain Natalia Valentin-Anderson fashioned a double-double with 33 assists and 12 digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Team Lichtman took the early lead with a 25-20 victory in the first set as Peterson registered six kills. The squad extended its overall advantage to 53-46 after battling to a 28-26 verdict in the middle frame on the strength of five kills and seven digs from Lichtman. After falling by a 25-18 margin in the third set, Team Lichtman won the match with a Childress kill and an attack error by Stalzer.

MATCH NOTES

• Saturday’s contest between Team Valentin-Anderson and Team Lichtman marked the first time in 59 all-time Athletes Unlimited Volleyball matches where a golden set was required.

• Valentin-Anderson authored her league-leading 11th double-double of the season in Saturday’s loss … She also completed the season with seven consecutive double-double efforts.

• Valentin-Anderson’s 543 assists are the second-highest total in a single season in league history … Setter Brie King set the record with 570 assists during the inaugural season.

• Hentz reached the 20-dig plateau for the second time this season, setting a season high with her 21 digs … She also had 20 digs against Team Sheilla on Apr. 8.

• Hentz closed the season with an Athletes Unlimited single-season record 229 digs in 15 matches, including 14 double-digit dig efforts … She also earned her seventh match MVP award of the season.

• Villines registered her third double-double of the season after finishing with 10 kills and a career-high 17 digs … It is the ninth time this season she has garnered a double-digit kill performance.

• Lichtman eclipsed her previous single-match high of 16 digs, which was set against Team Hunter on Mar. 21, 2021 … She ends the season with eight double-digit dig efforts.

• Peterson reached double figures in kills for the second time this season after compiling 11 kills against Team Sheilla on Apr. 2.

• Libero Amanda Benson tallied 15 digs in the loss for Team Valentin-Anderson, marking her 14th double-digit dig performance of the season … She concludes the season with 214 digs, the second-highest total in league history behind Hentz.

• Setter Val Nichol equaled her career high with 13 digs for Team Valentin-Anderson, signaling her third double-digit dig performance of the season … She opened the season with back-to-back double-digit dig efforts against Team McClendon and Team Lowe.

• Childress posted her third double-double of the season, including her second in the last four matches, in addition to reaching the 30-assist mark for the eighth time this season.

MATCH MVPS

• #1 – Cassidy Lichtman (Team Lichtman, +60)
• #2 – Morgan Hentz (Team Lichtman, +40)
• #3 – Alisha Childress (Team Lichtman, +20)

POINT-EARNERS

Team Lichtman secured 140 of the 180 possible win points by winning the first two sets and the overall match. Lichtman, who earned MVP 1 honors, secured her second 300-point effort after finishing with 335 leaderboard points, while Hentz followed with 286 points on the strength of an MVP 2 award. Childress added 225 points after claiming the MVP 3 distinction. Valentin-Anderson paced her squad in the loss with 147 points to hold onto second place on the leaderboard.