Team De La Cruz-Mejía Outlasts Team Hentz in Wild Week Four Opener
MESA, Arizona, October 25, 2024. - Week Four of the 2024 Athletes
Unlimited Pro Volleyball season started off with plenty of flair as Team
De La Cruz-Mejía held on for a thrilling 85-81 victory against Team
Hentz on Friday night at Arizona Athletic Grounds.
Team De La Cruz-Mejía opens the penultimate week of the season with a
1-0 mark, while Team Hentz dips to 0-1.
Outside hitter Madi Kingdon Rishel led all players with 20 kills and
registered 10 digs with four blocks to earn MVP 1 laurels and 305
leaderboard points, while outside hitter Temi Thomas-Ailara put down 18
kills with 12 digs to claim MVP 2 plaudits and 252 leaderboard points.
Libero Nomaris Vélez Agosto finished with a season-high 23 digs and
garnered 239 leaderboard points to round out Match MVP honors.
Outside hitter Dani Drews posted 16 digs and eight digs, while outside
hitter Bethania De La Cruz-Mejía put down 15 kills with a season-high 17
digs. Setter Madi Bugg pitched in 43 assists and nine digs in the
victory.
Opposite Heydi Casanova registered a league-high 24 digs and pitched in
nine kills in the loss for Team Hentz. Setter Natalia
Valentin-Anderson also put forth a season-high effort by dishing out 46
assists with 12 digs, while libero and team captain Morgan Hentz picked
up 16 digs in the loss.
How It Happened: Team
Hentz held on to take the first set, 28-26, before Team De La Cruz-Mejía
fired back with a 25-17 triumph in the second frame to take a 51-45
match lead. A marathon third set saw Team Hentz claim a 36-34 win, but
Team De La Cruz-Mejía held on for the four-point match victory.
Leaderboard Impact: De
La Cruz-Mejía reclaimed the top spot on the leaderboard with 3,007
points, while Kingdon Rishel vaulted six places into third place with
2,200 points. Hentz and Valentin-Anderson round out the top five spots
with 2,180 and 2,079 points, respectively. |