Week 1 Captains, Broadcast schedule set for Volleyball Season 3

Returning Champion Bethania De La Cruz, Natalia Valentin-Anderson, Nootsara Tomkom, and Leah Edmond will draft the first teams of the season as the top returning finishers from 2022. 

De La Cruz, who finished in second place during the inaugural 2021 season, served as captain for all five weeks and earned the title with 4,652 points on the leaderboard. She led the league in kills (233) and aces (18), while adding 168 digs. She set records for most leaderboard points in a single match (477), single-match kills (27), single-match aces (4), single-season aces (18), single-season kills (233), single-season leaderboard points (4,652), and single-season MVP honors (13).

Valentin-Anderson accumulated 3,337 points across 15 matches and led the league in assists (543). She also had 195 digs and was the only non-libero in the top four in the category.

Nootsara (3,027 points) and Edmond (2,957 points) finished fifth and sixth on the leaderboard, respectively. 

Teams will be announced on the Athletes Unlimited website and social channels following the Week 1 draft on Tuesday, Oct. 3.

Thirty matches will be available on ESPN platforms, with 10 televised live on ESPNU and 20 streaming exclusively on ESPN+. The full schedule can be found here. 

Season 3 will feature 44 of the world’s best women’s professional volleyball players competing for a share of more than $1 million over five weeks at Legacy Park in Mesa, Ariz. Tickets are on sale now.