Kingdon Rishel, Thomas-Ailara Lead Team Hentz in Sweep of Team Member-Meneh

MESA, Arizona, October 28, 2024.- Outside hitters Madi Kingdon Rishel and Temi Thomas-Ailara combined for 37 kills as Team Hentz swept Team Member-Meneh for a 75-66 victory in the opening match of Monday night’s Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball action at Arizona Athletic Grounds.

Team Hentz picks up its first win of Week Four and improves to 1-2, while Team Member-Meneh closes out the penultimate week of the season at 0-3.

Kingdon Rishel, the match’s MVP 1 recipient, totaled a season-high 20 kills on a .364 hitting percentage while adding seven digs and a solo block en route to a season-high 405 leaderboard points. 

Thomas-Ailara added a season-best 17 kills on an impressive .500 hitting clip while tying her season high with 12 digs to earn MVP 2 distinction with a season-best 411 points.

Middle blocker Kaz Brown took MVP 3 plaudits to complete the Match MVP sweep for Team Hentz after downing six kills with three solo blocks and two block assists, gaining a season-high 270 points towards the standings.

Setter Natalia Valentin-Anderson pitched in 42 assists and a match-high 14 digs, while opposite Heydi Casanova added five kills, four digs and three solo blocks in the victory.

Outside hitter Leketor Member-Meneh finished with a season-high 18 kills in the loss, while opposite Khat Bell chipped in 10 kills. Setter Alisha Childress guided the Team Member-Meneh offense with 35 assists while contributing 10 digs. 

How It Happened: Team Hentz came out on top after a back-and-forth opening frame by a 25-23 count before doubling its lead to 50-46. Team Hentz completed the match sweep with a 25-20 count in the final set. 

Leaderboard Impact: Kingdon Rishel surged into third place with 2,654 points after rising five spots in the league standings, while libero Morgan Hentz holds the fourth spot on the leaderboard with 2,549 points.