Recap: Team Member-Meneh Holds on to Sweep Team Drews in 76-59 Victory

Team Member-Meneh closes Week Three at 1-2 with the three-set sweep, while Team Drews ends the week winless in its three contests.

Outside hitter Madi Kingdon Rishel put down 14 kills with 15 digs and a pair of solo blocks to claim MVP 1 honors and a season-high 399 leaderboard points, while setter Marlie Monserez pitched in 30 assists and a match-high 18 digs for MVP 2 plaudits and a season-best 392 leaderboard points.

Middle blocker Kayla Haneline smashed nine kills on a remarkable .643 hitting percentage and matched the AU Pro Volleyball single-match record with seven solo blocks to claim MVP 3 laurels and 353 leaderboard points. She also dropped in a service ace and recorded three block assists in the victory.

Opposite Willow Johnson struck at a .300 clip and added 13 kills with seven digs for Team Member-Meneh, which hit .267 as a team.

Captain Dani Drews downed 11 kills for her squad in the loss, while outside hitter Brooke Nuneviller chipped in 10 kills. Libero Mary Lake collected a season-high 17 digs to anchor the Team Drews defensive effort.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Team Member-Meneh opened up a 25-16 lead after the first set and increased the advantage to 50-35 through two frames. Team Drews kept things close in the final frame, but Team Member-Meneh claimed the third set, 26-24, to secure the victory and the win points sweep.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

Outside hitter Leketor Member-Meneh slid into the third spot on the leaderboard with 1,996 points while Kingdon Rishel vaulted seven positions into fourth place with 1,895 points ahead of the Week Three finale between Team Abercrombie and Team De La Cruz-Mejía. Drews also maintained a top-10 position, standing seventh in the league standings with 1,730 points.

MATCH NOTES

• Drews and Member-Meneh met as opposing captains for the first time in their Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball careers.

• Team Member-Meneh authored the 30th win points sweep in Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball history, including the fourth sweep this season.

• Member-Meneh claimed her first AU Pro Volleyball victory as a team captain and finished her first week as a team leader with a 1-2 record.

• Drews dropped to 4-11 as a team captain and has now lost each of her last nine matches as a team leader.

• Haneline equaled Ali Bastianelli’s league single-match solo block record, which was set on March 29, 2021 against Team Larson … Haneline closes Week Three with 11 solo blocks, which is one shy of the league weekly record.

• Monserez registered her third straight double-double … She also finished with 30 or more assists for the fourth time, including each of her last three contests … Her 18 digs also establish a new season high.

• Johnson tallied double-digit kills for the fifth time in her last seven matches, including the second time in Week Three.

• Drews registered her ninth career AU Pro Volleyball double-double, including the fourth double-double this season

• Kingdon Rishel posted her second double-double of the year … She reached double-digit kills for the eighth time to tie the league lead while setting a new season high in digs.

• Setter Gabby Blossom set multiple career highs and finished with the first double-double of her AU Pro Volleyball career … She also posted 25 assists and double-digit digs for the first time in her two seasons.

• Kingdon Rishel claimed her sixth Match MVP honor of the season, tying outside hitter Bethania De La Cruz-Mejía for the second-most post-match awards in the league this season … The duo trails opposite Brittany Abercrombie, who has been awarded Match MVP laurels in 7-of-8 matches.

• Haneline registered the first Match MVP commendation of her AU Pro Volleyball career … She is the 24th different player to garner MVP honors this year.

MATCH MVPS

• #1 – Madi Kingdon Rishel (Team Member-Meneh, +60)
• #2 – Marlie Monserez (Team Member-Meneh, +40)
• #3 – Kayla Haneline (Team Member-Meneh, +20)