Karsta Lowe

Team Valentin-Anderson closes Week 2 with win over Team Stivrins

Karsta Lowe © Athletes Unlimited, LLC 2022 / Credit: Jade Hewitt Media
Mar 26, 2022

DALLAS — Outside hitter Madison Villines and opposite hitter Karsta Lowe combined to post 27 kills with 19 digs as Team Valentin-Anderson won its second straight match, a 73-70 victory over Team Stivrins in Athletes Unlimited Volleyball action at Fair Park Coliseum on Saturday afternoon.

Team Valentin-Anderson, which won the match by set scores of 25-22, 25-23 and 23-25, claimed back-to-back wins to end the week with a 2-1 record. Team Stivrins, meanwhile, ends Week Two with a 1-2 mark.

Lowe posted her third double-double of the season with a team-high 15 kills on 31 attempts while adding 10 digs in the victory. Villines, meanwhile, poured in 12 kills and nearly finished with a double-double after posting nine digs. Setter and team captain Natalia Valentin-Anderson dished out 37 assists with seven digs.

Team Stivrins, which split its first two matches to begin the week, was paced by a match-high 19 kills from outside hitter Leah Edmond while opposite hitter Falyn Fonoimoana also reached double figures with 11 kills along with six digs.

Setter Alisha Childress, making her second straight start, finished with 34 assists and nine digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Team Valentin-Anderson used 11 kills from Lowe and six kills from Stalzer to claim the first two sets by scores of 25-22 and 25-23, respectively. But, Team Stivrins avoided the sweep by claiming a 25-23 victory in the final stanza. Edmond tallied six kills during the set to lead the charge for Team Stivrins, which hit .306 in the third set.

MATCH NOTES

  • Lowe now owns 21 consecutive matches with 10 or more kills after her 15-kill performance on Saturday … In addition, she fashioned the eighth double-double of her Athletes Unlimited career after chipping in 10 digs.

  • Lowe posted a double-double in all three matches during Week Two, averaging 16.0 kills and 11.3 digs per match.

  • Edmond has four straight double-digit kill efforts after posting just 17 total kills in her first two matches … During the four-match streak, she is averaging 15.3 kills per contest.

  • Fonoimoana has reached double figures in kills for the fifth time in six matches this season after her 11-kill performance.

  • Valentin-Anderson dished out 30 or more assists for the fifth match in a row.

  • Villines matched her Athletes Unlimited career high with three of Team Valentin-Anderson’s nine blocks … She also had three rejections on Mar. 18 against Team Lowe.

  • Libero Morgan Hentz tallied her fifth double-digit dig showing in six matches this season after closing play with 16 digs on Saturday evening … She also earned MVP honors for the second time this season.

  • Middle blocker Ronika Stone, who entered Saturday’s match with just one service ace in three appearances, authored three service aces against Team Valentin-Anderson.

MATCH MVPS

  • #1 – Leah Edmond (Team Stivrins, +60)
  • #2 – Karsta Lowe (Team Valentin-Anderson, +40)
  • #3 – Morgan Hentz (Team Stivrins, +20)

POINT-EARNERS

Team Valentin-Anderson finished with 140 of the 180 possible win points, while Team Stivrins salvaged the remaining 40 points with its third set victory. Lowe led all athletes with 338 leaderboard points, including 40 points as the MVP 2 recipient, to earn her third match with 300 or more points this season. Edmond followed with 254 points after earning the MVP 1 award, while Villines fashioned a season-high 252 points.