Season 2 of the U.S. Women’s Volleyball Championship, which puts an emphasis and composes ranking on individual performances, with teams changing and players being drafted for new teams every week, started on March 16. Up until now, 2 out of a total of 5 weeks (6 matches per week) of the competition in Dallas have concluded.
Game 7
With Bethania de la Cruz in her second week as captain, Team De La Cruz used 3 double-double performances to open the 2nd week of the 2022 Athletes Unlimited Volleyball season with an 80-75 victory over Team Valentin-Anderson (captained by Puerto Rican Natalia Valentín-Anderson) at Fair Park Coliseum in Dallas. Team De La Cruz was headed by its captain (22 kills and a career-high 18 digs) and won the match by set scores of 25-23, 25-20, and 30-32. With 22 kills, the Dominican outside hitter tied the season’s Athletes Unlimited record set by Karsta Lowe in the opening of the new season against Team Cruz.
MATCH MVPs
#1 – Bethania de la Cruz, DOM (Team De La Cruz, +60)
#2 – Erin Fairs (Team De La Cruz, +40)
#3 – Nootsara Tomkom, THA (Team De La Cruz, +20)
Game 8
Team Drews rounded out the 2nd day of Week 2 with a 69-64 victory over Team Stivrins, with the outside hitter and captain Danielle Drews matching her season-high with 16 kills and setter Carli Lloyd dishing out 27 assists. After winning the following two sets by scores of 25-22 and 25-17, Team Drews overcame a 19-25 setback in the first set to win the match.
MATCH MVPs
#1 – Amanda Benson (Team Drews, +60)
#2 – Danielle Drews (Team Drews, +40)
#3 – Leah Edmond (Team Stivrins, +20)
Game 9
Team Stivrins spoiled Team De La Cruz’s joy that came due to the performance of the rival’s captain by winning 71-70 (set scores of 26-24, 25-21, and 20-25). Bethania de la Cruz set the Athletes Unlimited Volleyball single-match record with 27 kills. Both teams got 1-1 in the tournament at the time, with Team Stivrins winning their first set and Team De La Cruz losing for the first time in the week. De la Cruz broke the league’s single-match kill record held by Puerto Rican Áurea Cruz, who set a mark of 26 kills against Team Larson on March 28, 2021.
MATCH MVPs
#1 – Falyn Fonoimoana (Team Stivrins, +60)
#2 – Bethania de la Cruz, DOM (Team De La Cruz, +40)
#3 – Cassidy Lichtman (Team Stivrins, +20)
Game 10
Team Valentin-Anderson defeated Team Drews 70-66. Setter Natalia Valentín-Anderson and opposite hitter Karsta Lowe both had a double-double. Team Valentin-Anderson won the match by set scores of 25-21, 20-25, and 25-20, bringing their record to 1-1. After suffering its first loss of the week, Team Drews was also 1-1. Valentín-Anderson led her side to victory with 33 assists and 13 digs, which was a team record. Lowe, on the other hand, had a match-high of 18 kills and matched her season-high with 12 digs.
MATCH MVPs
#1 – Karsta Lowe (Team Valentin-Anderson, +60)
#2 – Taylor Sandbothe (Team Valentin-Anderson, +40)
#3 – Carli Lloyd (Team Drews, +20)
Game 11
Team Valentin-Anderson won its second straight match, 73-70, over Team Stivrins. Outside hitter Madison Villines (ex-Rigdon) and Karsta Lowe combined for 27 kills and 19 digs. Team Valentin-Anderson won back-to-back matches with set scores of 25-22, 25-23, and 23-25 to finish the week with a 2-1 record. Team Stivrins, on the other hand, has a 1-2 record after Week 2. Lowe had her third double-double of the season in the win, with a team-high 15 kills on 31 attempts and 10 digs. Villines, on the other hand, had 12 kills and came close to a double-double with 9 digs. Natalia Valentín-Anderson, the team’s setter, made 37 assists and 7 digs.
MATCH MVPs
#1 – Leah Edmond (Team Stivrins, +60)
#2 – Karsta Lowe (Team Valentin-Anderson, +40)
#3 – Morgan Hentz (Team Stivrins, +20)
Game 12
Team De La Cruz beat Team Drews, 68-57, to conclude Week 2. Brazilian opposite hitter Sheilla Castro set a career-high with 17 kills and added 9 digs. Team De La Cruz won by set scores of 18-25, 25-9, and 25-23, improving its record to 2-1 on the week. Team Drews, on the other hand, closed the week with a 1-2 record after suffering its second consecutive loss. Sheilla, who had her third double-digit kill game of the season, led all athletes with 17 kills and a hitting percentage of .412. Sheilla was joined in double digits by Bethania de la Cruz, who had 12 kills and 9 digs, and Thai setter Nootsara Tomkom, who had 36 assists.
MATCH MVPs
#1 – Sheilla Castro, BRA (Team De La Cruz, +60)
#2 – Bethania De La Cruz, DOM (Team De La Cruz, +40)
#3 – Nomaris Vélez, PUR (Team De La Cruz, +20)
Leaderboard, Top-3:
#1 – Bethania De La Cruz, OH (DOM), 1,779 pts.
#2 – Karsta Lowe, OPP, 1,455 pts.
#3 – Danielle Drews, OH, 1,413 pts.
