Returners to Watch During the 2024 AU Pro Volleyball Season

Compiling fantasy teams and watching the week-by-week leaderboard should be fascinating exercises as AU Pro Volleyball begins its fourth season. 

But the real action is on the court, and here are some of the returning players to watch.

Sherridan Atkinson

Opposite Sherridan Atkinson returns to AU Pro Volleyball for the first time since playing in AU’s 2021 season. During that campaign, she placed 23rd on the leaderboard with 2,230 points. 

Atkinson recently signed with Grand Rapids of the Pro Volleyball Federation. Last season in Greece, she led Panathinaikos to its third straight Greek A1 Etniki league championship. She had 18 kills and two blocks in the title match and was named the league’s MVP. She describes her style of play as “physical, energetic and direct.” She also is known as a strong verbal communicator on the court. 

Gabby Blossom

Setter Gabby Blossom is back for her second campaign with AU Pro Volleyball after making her professional debut with the league in 2023. She was one of six athletes selected in the AU Pro Volleyball College Draft and finished her rookie campaign with 1,085 leaderboard points, along with 28 assists and 15 digs.

She competed with the Columbus Fury during the 2024 Pro Volleyball Federation season, appearing in eight matches and 21 sets.

Kaz Brown

During her first season with AU Pro Volleyball, Kaz Brown put the “block” into middle blocker. Brown tied the single-season AU record by leading the league with 33 solo blocks on the way to a 20th-place finish (2,135 leaderboard points). 

Although a first-year player with AU last season, Brown brings plenty of experience back with her in 2024, having played in Germany, Greece, Ukraine, and France before joining AU. She was a three-time Match MVP last season and enjoyed eight matches with 100 or more points and five outings with 200 or more points. 

Brown won Middle Blocker of the Year honors in the Pro Volleyball Federation this past spring for her work with the Orlando Valkyries, for whom she had 68 in 102 sets, good for second in the league. She had the third-best hitting percentage in the league at .333. 

Taylor Bruns Tegenrot

Setter Taylor Bruns Tegenrot is an assists machine. Entering her fourth year of AU Pro Volleyball, she ranks sixth all-time with 499 assists over her first three campaigns. She is also eighth in AU history with 3,940 career Win Points. During the 2023 season, she set a career-best with 2,041 leaderboard points, good for 22nd place. Bruns Tegenrot was fifth in the league with 155 assists. 

A product of the University of South Carolina, she has been a mainstay of Goteborg in Sweden, winning Swedish League MVP and Best Setter awards in the 2022-23 season. The vast international experience she has gained has made her a well-rounded and technically sound player. 

Kayla Caffey

Kayla Caffey completed her first AU Pro Volleyball season with 1,676 leaderboard points in 2023. The middle blocker earned a pair of Match MVP honors, collected 50 kills and 12 digs, and tied for third in the league with 26 solo blocks.

She began her pro career with Criolla de Caguas in Puerto Rico during the 2022-23 season. She most recently competed with the Grand Rapids Rise of the Pro Volleyball Federation and appeared in 19 matches and 65 sets. She had 81 kills, 39 digs, and 37 blocks.

Alisha Childress

If you’re looking for consistency, Alisha Childress is your player. The veteran setter had 20 or more assists in 11 of 15 matches in 2023, including nine efforts with at least 30 assists. She opened the season with four consecutive matches with 40 or more assists, establishing a new AU Pro Volleyball record. She wound up third in the league with 433 assists; she was third highest in assists (374) during the 2022 season. 

Any team with Childress is getting an experienced leader who keeps her cool on the court. She has played around the world and represented Team USA from 2010 to 2016. Now 36, Childress is showing no signs of slowing down. She earned Most Inspirational Player honors for the Pro Volleyball Federation for the 2024 season. She was second in PVF in assists with 976. 

Génesis Collazo

A well-rounded player, opposite Génesis Collazo picked up 2,980 leaderboard points in 2023 to finish in ninth place. She established an AU Pro Volleyball single-season record by collecting 1,960 Win Points to share honors with Lindsey Vander Weide. Collazo and Vander Weide also equaled league records with a 12-3 match record and 720 match win points. 

She finished her first AU season with 81 kills and 107 digs along with 21 solo blocks, which placed eighth in the league. She reached the 200-point mark eight times, displaying week-to-week consistency. Although she was a first-year AU player, Collazo has extensive pro experience since 2009, making her a heady presence on the court. 

Bethania De La Cruz

2022 AU Pro Volleyball Champion and outside hitter Bethania De La Cruz posted a sixth-place finish in 2023 with 3,130 leaderboard points. She continued her dominance in the Pro Volleyball Federation. She was named PVF’s Server of the Year for 2024. She led PVF with 32 aces after leading AU in that category the previous two seasons. 

De La Cruz puts tremendous spin and speed on her jump serve, making it difficult to receive. 

She compiled a record 4,652 points in 2022. During that season, she set AU single-season records with 233 kills and 18 service aces. This member of the inaugural Athletes Unlimited Dream Team is one of the most dominating athletes in the history of AU Pro Volleyball. 

Tori Dixon

Middle blocker Tori Dixon posted an impressive first season in AU Pro Volleyball in 2023, placing 19th on the leaderboard with 2,151 points. She was one of two middle blockers named to the All-Position Team. Dixon tied for second among the league’s middle blockers with 22 block assists. Dixon ranked third in the league with a hitting percentage of .331 and appeared in all 46 sets. 

Even though she has only one AU season under her belt, Dixon is one of the most experienced and decorated players in the league, making her a good bet if you’re looking for steady performance. She has played in Azerbaijan, Japan, Italy, and China, and in all places, she has demonstrated a high degree of versatility and adaptability on the court.

Dani Drews

The excitement level of AU Pro Volleyball should go up a notch or two with the return of outside hitter Dani Drews, a member of the inaugural AU Dream Team in 2022. She finished third on the leaderboard during her first season with 3,308 points and was named to the All-Position Team. 

There wasn’t much Drews didn’t do two years ago, and that should make her an attractive pick for Week One and beyond this year. She was second in the league with 222 kills and 14 service aces. She is the only athlete in the league with 10 or more kills in all 15 matches, including a season-high 20 kills in one match. The former University of Utah standout finished her rookie campaign with 200 or more leaderboard points in seven matches, including a season-high 410 points in the first week of the 2022 season. She is AU’s all-time leader in attack attempts (661). 

Erin Fairs

Entering her fourth season with AU Pro Volleyball, Erin Fairs was a 10th-place finisher on the leaderboard in 2022. The outside hitter can get hot at any time, making her a potentially attractive pick for any given week. She closed the 2023 season with 10 or more digs in four of the final six matches. That included a double-double, with a season-high 10 kills and a season-high 11 digs in the final match of the season. 

She was third in assists (433). She opened the season with four consecutive matches with 40 or more assists to establish a new AU record. 

Fairs can be looked to by her teammates as a vocal leader and example-setter on the court. 

Morgan Hentz

Now dig this: Libero Morgan Hentz is back and ready to resume her defensive dominance for 2024. A two-time Defensive Player of the Year, Hentz led the league in 2023 with 212 digs, becoming the first player in AU Pro Volleyball history to achieve 200 or more digs in multiple seasons.

She tallied 10 or more digs in 14 of 15 contests and opened the season by setting a new AU Pro Volleyball single-match record with 25 digs against Team De La Cruz. Overall, she finished fifth on the overall leaderboard with 3,274 points. 

Playing for the Atlanta Vibe of Pro Volleyball Federation in 2024, she was second in digs with 373 over 89 sets and led the league with 4.2 digs per set, earning All-PVF First Team honors and the Libero of the Year award. 

Sydney Hilley

Few players in any league could boast a better rookie season than what setter Sydney Hilley enjoyed with AU Pro Volleyball in 2023. She earned a solid eighth-place finish with 3,114 leaderboard points. Her decision to play in the championship season came after she participated in the AU Volleyball Exhibition Tour of college campuses earlier in 2023. The decision turned out to be a good one for a player who relishes the chance to play volleyball in the U.S. rather than go overseas. 

She ranked sixth in the league with 1,474 Stat Points and earned Match MVP honors five times. A three-time team captain, she posted a 4-5 record and recorded the second-highest single-season total in league history after leading the circuit with 545 assists. She also had a league-high 13 matches with 30 or more assists, including four outings with 40 or more assists. 

Willow Johnson

In her return to AU Pro Volleyball in 2023, Willow Johnson earned All-Position Team honors. She finished 14th on the leaderboard with 2,333 points, partially on the result of five Match MVP Awards. Johnson was third in the league with 183 kills and fifth in the circuit with 379 attack attempts. Additionally, she was tied for 10th in the league with 19 solo blocks.

A left-handed opposite, Johnson provides good flexibility and range on the court. She saw action earlier this year with the San Diego Mojo of Pro Volleyball Federation and with the Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders in South Korea. 

Molly McCage

There may be no one who embodies the spirit, heart, and soul of AU Pro Volleyball as much as Molly McCage. 

A member of the league since 2021, McCage was the inaugural recipient of the Athletes Unlimited Volleyball Blocker of the Year Award, which she received in 2023. She earned 11th place on the final leaderboard. McCage was one of the two middle blockers named to the All-Position Team and accumulated 2,896 leaderboard points. She ranked fourth in the league with 280 MVP points and tied for second with seven Match MVP awards, including in five consecutive contests. 

She is a member of the inaugural Athletes Unlimited Volleyball Dream Team. 

Brooke Nuneviller

An outside hitter, Brooke Nuneviller quickly established herself as a force to be reckoned with in 2023, earning third place with 3,582 leaderboard points. 

Nuneviller was the only player in the league to author multiple matches with 400 or more points. She tallied 300 or more leaderboard points in a match five times.

Versatility, competitiveness, and being a team player are her calling cards, dating to her days at the University of Oregon, where she was a three-time All-American, leaving as one of the most accomplished players in team history. 

The sky appears to be the limit for Nuneviller in 2024 with AU Pro Volleyball.

Jenna Rosenthal

Could there be another move upward for middle blocker Jenna Rosenthal? She returns to AU Pro Volleyball after improving from 16th on the leaderboard in 2022 (2,348 points) to 12th (2,657) in 2023. Last season, Rosenthal had 19 solo blocks in 44 sets over 15 matches. She was second in the league with a .344 hitting percentage.

Versatility is Rosenthal’s stock in trade. In addition to being a solid blocker, she is adept at kills and attack attempts, making her an attractive high-round pick. She was a member of the inaugural Athletes Unlimited Dream Team in 2022.

Nootsara Tomkom

One of the most decorated athletes in the world, Nootsara Tomkom returns to AU Pro Volleyball after being named Setter of the Year in The Pro Volleyball Federation for 2024. She dished 932 assists and averaged 10.59 per set. She commanded the offense to a .217 hitting percentage.

A professional volleyball player since 2007 Nootsara continues going strong. She joined AU in 2022 and finished fifth on the leaderboard with 3,027 points, appearing in all 45 sets. She had eight matches with 200 or more points, closing the season with five straight 200-point efforts.

She finished 13th during AU’s 2023 season. Tomkom has played internationally for Team Thailand for two decades. She can be counted on week in and week out for consistent performance with her exceptional setting skills. 

Natalia Valentin-Anderson

Setter Natalia Valentin-Anderson is an AU Pro Volleyball history maker. By finishing fourth on the leaderboard in 2023 and second in 2022, she became only the second player in AU history to earn medalist honors in back-to-back seasons. That could portend greatness for the 2024 campaign. 

Simply put, Valentin-Anderson is an assists machine, making her a good bet for stat points every week. She was second in the league with 544 assists, adding 23 kills and 163 digs. She joined Sydney Hilley as one of the only players in the league with 20 or more assists in all 15 matches.

In the Pro Volleyball Federation in 2024, she placed ninth in assists (473). She also has captained the Puerto Rico national team, making her a leader on the court. 

Lindsey Vander Weide

Outside hitter Lindsey Vander Weide established an AU Pro Volleyball record by accumulating 1,960 win points during the 2023 season. She shares that honor with Genesis Collazo. Overall, Vander Weide amassed 3,118 leaderboard points to finish seventh. 

Her rookie season with AU was a strong one, but she has extensive pro experience worldwide. She won a championship in the Philippines and was the best scorer in the PVL Reinforced Conference. She was named the Best Outside Hitter in the Hungarian Extraliga in 2020. 

Playing for San Diego in the Pro Volleyball Federation this past season Vander Weide played in 69 sets, with 235 points on 195 kills, 12 aces, and 25 blocks. 

Nomaris Vélez Agosto

Libero Nomaris Velez Agosto is a two-time GEICO Defensive Player of the Year Award winner, taking home those honors in 2021 and 2022. In 2023, she placed 17th with 2,214 leaderboard points on the strength of 187 digs, which were good for second place in the league. Her consistency was on full display as she tallied 10 or more digs in 13 of 15 matches, including a pair of contests with 15 or more digs.

During her three seasons in AU Pro Volleyball, Velez Agosto has demonstrated exceptional consistency and durability in addition to her defensive skills. She has appeared in all sets in each of her three seasons with AU. 

Karis Watson

Middle blocker Karis Watson returns for her second AU Pro Volleyball season. She compiled 1,917 leaderboard points in 2023 and ranked fifth in the league with 1,720 Win Points.

Watson has played professionally since 2016. She most recently played for the Atlanta Vibe of the Pro Volleyball Federation during its inaugural season. She appeared in 13 matches and helped the team to a league-best 19-5 regular season record en route to its first PVF Regular Season Champions title.

Bruce Miles has covered sports in the Chicago area for 45 years, including baseball, hockey, football, and Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball. Follow him on Twitter @BruceMiles2112.