# 2022 Athletes Unlimited Volleyball season

The 2022 Athletes Unlimited Volleyball season was the Athletes Unlimited Volleyball's second season in existence. The season was played in Dallas, Texas and ran from March 16, 2022 to April 16, 2022.
Bethania de la Cruz was the overall season winner - finishing with 4,652 points.

## 2022 Roster

| Name | Position | College | 2021–22 Club |
| Ali Bastianelli | Middle Blocker | Illinois | Atenienses De Manati |
| Amanda Benson | Libero | Oregon | |
| Tina Boe | Middle Blocker | Denver | Denver Pioneers |
| Taylor Bruns Tegenrot | Setter | South Carolina | Goteborg Volleybollklubb |
| Sheilla Castro | Outside hitter/Opposite | | |
| Alisha Glass Childress | Setter | Penn State | |
| Naya Crittenden | Opposite | Oregon/Illinois | Sarıyer Belediyespor |
| Aury Cruz | Outside hitter | Florida | Valencianas de Juncos |
| Bethania de la Cruz | Outside hitter | | Altay VC |
| Tori Dilfer | Setter | Louisville | Louisville Cardinals |
| Dani Drews | Outside Hitter | Utah | KPS Chemik Police |
| Leah Edmond | Outside Hitter | Kentucky | Valencianas de Juncos |
| Erin Fairs | Outside Hitter | USF/Kentucky | |
| Rachael Fara | Middle Blocker | Northwestern/Dayton/ Colorado | |
| Falyn Fonoimoana | Opposite | USC | |
| Taylor Fricano | Opposite | North Carolina | Olimpia Teodora Ravenna |
| Morgan Hentz | Libero | Stanford | |
| Cassidy Lichtman | Outside hitter | Stanford | Athletes Unlimited |
| Hana Lishman | Libero | Pepperdine | |
| Carli Lloyd | Setter | California | Athletes Unlimited |
| Karsta Lowe | Opposite | UCLA | Changas de Naranjito |
| Kalei Mau | Outside Hitter | Minnesota/Arizona | Athletes Unlimited |
| Molly McCage | Middle Blocker | Texas | Athletes Unlimited |
| Deja McClendon | Outside Hitter | Penn State | Athletes Unlimited |
| Sha'Dare McNeal | Opposite | Texas | |
| Taylor Morgan | Middle Blocker | Minnesota | Athletes Unlimited |
| Valerie Nichol | Setter | Purdue | Athletes Unlimited |
| Jamie Peterson | Outside Hitter | Dayton | Dayton Flyers |
| Jenna Rosenthal | Middle Blocker | Marquette | |
| Taylor Sandbothe | Middle Blocker | Ohio State | Valencianas de Juncos |
| Ray Santos | Setter | Arkansas | Pinkin de Corozal |
| Noami Santos-Lamb | Outside Hitter | Florida | Changas de Naranjito |
| Lindsay Stalzer | Outside Hitter | Bradley | Atenienses De Manati |
| Lauren Stivrins | Middle Blocker | Nebraska | Nebraska Cornhuskers |
| Ronika Stone | Middle Blocker | Oregon | Pinkin de Corozal |
| Lianna Sybeldon | Middle Blocker | Washington | Athletes Unlimited |
| Nootsara Tomkom | Setter | | Diamond Food |
| Natalia Valentín-Anderson | Setter | FIU | Valencianas de Juncos |
| Madison Villines | Outside Hitter | Kansas | Changas de Naranjito |
| Nomaris Vélez Agosto | Libero | | Changas de Naranjito |
| Emma Willis | Middle Blocker | Denver | |
| Erica Wilson | Opposite Hitter | Arizona State | Athletes Unlimited |
| Niki Withers | Opposite | Cal State Fullerton/USC | |
| Eri Xue | Middle Blocker | Long Beach State | Liaoning Huajun |

## Scoring system

Unlike traditional volleyball which is best-of-5 sets, matches in Athletes Unlimited always play three sets. A team does not necessarily have to win the majority or all of the sets as the winner is determined based on the final overall score. If the teams are tied after 3 sets, a tie breaking fourth set (referred to as the "Golden Set) is played. The Golden Set goes to 5 points and must win by two.

### MVP Points

After each match, players and members of The Unlimited Club vote for three players who had standout performances. MVP points are awarded as follows:
* MVP 1: +60 points
* MVP 2: +40 points
* MVP 3: +20 points

### Individual stats

In addition to team points and MVP points, players earn points based on their offensive and defensive performance.
The breakdown for individual points is as follows:
* Serving: Ace + 12, Error -8
* Service error (-8)
* Attack: Kill + 8, Error -12
* Set: Assist + 1, Error -12
* Dig: Dig + 5, No Errors
* Pass: Good pass + 2, Error -12
* Block: Stuff + 12, No Errors

### Captains

At the conclusion of each week, the top four point scorers are named team captains. Each captain is assigned to a team color based on their standing. Captains then choose their team in a weekly draft.
* No. 1: Gold
* No. 2: Orange
* No. 3: Blue
* No. 4: Purple
* Week 1 Captains: Bethania de la Cruz, Aury Cruz, Karsta Lowe, and Deja McClendon
* Week 2 Captains: Dani Drews, Bethania de la Cruz, Natalia Valentín-Anderson, and Lauren Stivrins
* Week 3 Captains: Bethania de la Cruz, Karsta Lowe, Dani Drews, and Sheilla Castro
* Week 4 Captains: Dani Drews, Bethania de la Cruz, Sheilla Castro, and Natalia Valentín-Anderson
* Week 5 Captains: Bethania de la Cruz, Dani Drews, Natalia Valentín-Anderson, and Cassidy Lichtman

## Games
### Week 1

2022 Athletes Unlimited Season :
Week 1
DateTime (CDT)MatchupTVResultHigh killsHigh blocksHigh assistsHigh digs
Wednesday, March 16
5:00 PM
Team Lowe
vs
Team Cruz
YouTube
77–74 (27–25, 25–27, 25–22)
Karsta Lowe (22)
Ali Bastianelli (3)
Carli Lloyd (40)
Amanda Benson (19)
7:30 PM
Team de la Cruz
vs
Team McClendon
Bally Sports
68–59 (25–13, 18–25, 25–21)
Dani Drews (10)
Lauren Stivrins (4)
Natalia Valentín-Anderson (28)
Natalia Valentín-Anderson (16)
Friday, March 18
6:00 PM
Team McClendon
vs
Team Cruz
FS1
71–68 (25–17, 22–25, 24–26)
Aury Cruz (15)
Taylor Morgan Molly McCage Dani Drews (3)
Natalia Valentín-Anderson (35)
Morgan Hentz (18)
8:30 PM
Team Lowe
vs
Team de la Cruz
FS2
74–78 (24–26, 21–25, 29–27)
Karsta Lowe Lindsay Stalzer Bethania de la Cruz (13)
Lauren Stivrins (4)
Carli Lloyd (35)
Amanda Benson (17)
Saturday, March 19
6:00 PM
Team McClendon
vs
Team Lowe
FS2
76–58(25–23, 26–24, 25–11)
Dani Drews (16)
Rachael Fara (3)
Natalia Valentín-Anderson (43)
Carli Lloyd Nomaris Velez Agosto (13)
9:30 p.m.
Team Cruz
vs
Team de la Cruz
Bally Sports
69–71 (19–25, 25–23, 25–23)
Kalei Mau Falyn Fonoimoana Madison Villindes (10)
Molly McCage (4)
Nootsara Tomkom (28)
Morgan Hentz (16) :

### Week 2

2022 Athletes Unlimited Season :
Week 2
DateTime (CDT)MatchupTVResultHigh killsHigh blocksHigh assistsHigh digs
Wednesday, March 23
6:30 p.m.
Natalia Valentín-Anderson
vs
Team de la Cruz
YouTube
75–80 (23–25, 20–25, 32–30)
Bethania de la Cruz (22)
Ali Bastianelli (5)
Nootsara Tomkom (45)
Nomaris Velez Agosto Bethania de la Cruz (18)
7:30 PM
Team Drews
vs
Team Stivrins
Bally Sports
69–64 (19–25, 25–22, 25–17)
Dani Drews (16)
Taylor Morgan Jenna Rosenthal Ronika Stone (3)
Carli Lloyd (27)
Amanda Benson (17)
Friday, March 25
6:00 PM
Team Stivrins
vs
Team de la Cruz
FS2
71–70 (26–24, 25–21, 20–25)
Bethania de la Cruz (27)
Eri Xue (4)
Nootsara Tomkom (43)
Erin Fairs (19)
8:30 PM
Team Valentín-Anderson
vs
Team Drews
FS2
70–66 (25–21, 20–25, 25–20)
Karsta Lowe Dani Drews (18)
Taylor Morgan Ali Bastianelli Carli Lloyd Taylor Sandbothe Madison Villines Jenna Rosenthal (2)
Carli Lloyd Natalia Valentín-Anderson (33)
Amanda Benson (19)
Saturday, March 26
6:30 PM
Team Stivrins
vs
Team Valentín-Anderson
FS2
70–73 (22–25, 23–25, 25–23)
Leah Edmond (19)
Madison Villines (3)
Natalia Valentín-Anderson (37)
Morgan Hentz (16)
9:00 PM
Team de la Cruz
vs
Team Drews
Bally Sports
68–57 (18–25, 25–9, 25–23)
Sheilla Castro (17)
Bethania de la Cruz (3)
Nootsara Tomkom (36)
Nomaris Velez Agosto (12) :

### Week 3

2022 Athletes Unlimited Season :
Week 3
DateTime (CDT)MatchupTVResultHigh killsHigh blocksHigh assistsHigh digs
Wednesday, March 30
5:00 PM
Team Drews
vs
Team Lowe
YouTube
75–66 (25–27, 25–21, 25–18)
Leah Edmond (18)
Karsta Lowe Madison Villines Ronika Stone Leah Edmond Dani Drews (2)
Natalia Valentín-Anderson (41)
Karsta Lowe (21)
7:30
Team de la Cruz
vs
Team Sheilla
Bally Sports
61–72 (25–22, 18–25, 25–18)
Sheilla Castro (16)
Taylor Morgan Ali Bastianelli (2)
Nootsara Tomkom (13)
Nootsara Tomkom (13)
Friday, April 1
6:00 PM
Team Sheilla
vs
Team Lowe
FS2
83–81 (19–25, 25–19, 39–37)
Sheilla Castro (23)
Ali Bastianelli (6)
Alisha Glass Childress (37)
Hana Lishman (15)
8:30 PM
Team Drews
vs
Team de la Cruz
FS2
77–59 (25–17, 27–25, 25–17)
Dani Drews (20)
Taylor Morgan (3)
Natalia Valentín-Anderson (39)
Morgan Hentz (12)
Saturday, April 2
6:00 PM
Team Sheilla
vs
Team Drews
CBS Sports
67–73 (20–25, 25–23, 22–25)
Jamie Peterson Erin Fairs Dani Drews (11)
Ronika Stone (5)
Natalia Valentín-Anderson (34)
Morgan Hentz (14)
8:00 PM
Team Lowe
vs
Team de la Cruz
CBS Sports Network
63–61 (23–25, 15–25, 25–11)
Madison Villines Bethania de la Cruz (15)
Naya Crittenden Taylor Sandbothe Lindsay Stalzer (2)
Carli Lloyd (25)
Nomaris Velez Agonsto (18) :

### Week 4

2022 Athletes Unlimited Season :
Week 4
DateTime (CDT)MatchupTVResultHigh killsHigh blocksHigh assistsHigh digs
Wednesday, April 6
5:00 PM
Team Sheilla
vs
Team de la Cruz
YouTube
60–75 (22–25, 16–25, 22–25)
Bethania de la Cruz (15)
Ronika Stone Cassidy Lichtman (3)
Alisha Glass Childress (38)
Nomaris Velez Agosto (14)
7:30
Team Drews
vs
Team Valentín-Anderson
YouTube
61–72 (18–25, 18–25, 25–22)
Dani Drews (18)
Taylor Sandbothe Jenna Rosenthal Leah Edmond Dani Drews (2)
Natalia Valentín-Anderson (36)
Falyn Fonoimoana (17)
Friday, April 8
6:00 PM
Team Valentín-Anderson
vs
Team de la Cruz
FS2
72–69 (22–25, 25–23, 25–21)
Jenna Rosenthal Bethania de la Cruz (16)
Molly McCage (5)
Natalia Valentín-Anderson (48)
Natalia Valentín-Anderson (17)
9:00 PM
Team Sheilla
vs
Team Drews
CBS Sports Network
75–56 (25–19, 25–20, 25–17)
Dani Drews (13)
Carli Lloyd (4)
Nootsara Tomkom (28)
Morgan Hentz (20)
Saturday, April 9
4:00 PM
Team Valentín-Anderson
vs
Team Sheilla
CBS Sports Network
54–75 (15–25, 22–25, 17–25)
Lindsay Stalzer Leah Edmond (12)
Taylor Morgan Lianna Sybeldon Eri Xue Kalei Mau Ali Bastianelli Sheilla Castro Natalia Valentín-Anderson (1)
Natalia Valentín-Anderson (31)
Amanda Benson (17)
7:00 PM
Team de la Cruz
vs
Team Drews
CBS Sports Network
73–64 (25–19, 25–20, 23–25)
Bethania de la Cruz (18)
Molly McCage (4)
Alisha Glass Childress (33)
Nomaris Velez Agosto (17) :

### Week 5

2022 Athletes Unlimited Season :
Week 5
DateTime (CDT)MatchupTVResultHigh killsHigh blocksHigh assistsHigh digs
Wednesday, April 14
7:00 PM
Team Valentín-Anderson
vs
Team Drews
CBS Sports Network
71–67 (21–25, 25–19, 25–23)
Dani Drews (15)
Taylor Sandbothe (4)
Natalia Valentín-Anderson (33)
Hana Lishman (22)
9:00 PM
Team de la Cruz
vs
Team Lichtman
CBS Sports Network
71–66 (25–20, 21–25, 25–21)
Bethania de la Cruz (19)
Cassidy Lichtman (3)
Nootsara Tomkom (43)
Morgan Hentz (16)
Friday, April 15
6:00 PM
Team Lichtman
vs
Team Drews
FS2
68–65 (25–17, 25–23, 18–25)
Leah Edmond (14)
Molly McCage Lianna Sybeldon (4)
Alisha Glass Childress (22)
Morgan Hentz (16)
9:00 PM
Team Valentín-Anderson
vs
Team de la Cruz
CBS Sports Network
61–75 (19–25, 23–25, 19–25)
Bethania de la Cruz (17)
Jenna Rosenthal (3)
Nootsara Tomkom (42)
Bethania de la Cruz (17)
Saturday, April 16
6:00 PM
Team Lichtman
vs
Team Valentín-Anderson
FS2
78–76 (25–20, 28–26, 18–25, 7–5)
Jamie Peterson (17)
Eri Xue Taylor Sandbothe (3)
Alisha Glass Childress (35)
Morgan Hentz (21)
9:00 PM
Team Drews
vs
Team de la Cruz
CBS Sports Network
73–76 (23–25, 22–25, 28–26)
Bethania de la Cruz (19)
Ray Santos Lianna Sybeldon Erin Fairs Bethania de la Cruz (2)
Nootsara Tomkom (41)
Nomaris Velez Agosto (22) :

## Leaderboard

Below is the leaderboard which tallies the total points earned via the scoring system that each player has accumulated during the games that are played each week. The list reflects the final standings.
| Rank | Player | Points | Notes |
| 1 | Bethania de la Cruz | 4,652 | |
| 2 | Natalia Valentín-Anderson | 3,337 | |
| 3 | Dani Drews | 3,308 | |
| 4 | Cassidy Lichtman | 3,279 | |
| 5 | Nootsara Tomkom | 3,027 | |
| 6 | Leah Edmond | 2,957 | Unavailable on Saturday, April 16 |
| 7 | Morgan Hentz | 2,950 | |
| 8 | Sheilla Castro | 2,799 | Unavailable during Week 5 |
| 9 | Ronika Stone | 2,784 | |
| 10 | Erin Fairs | 2,704 | |
| 11 | Nomaris Velez Agost | 2,701 | |
| 12 | Aury Cruz | 2,667 | |
| 13 | Lindsay Stalzer | 2,604 | |
| 14 | Hana Lishman | 2,597 | |
| 15 | Amanda Benson | 2,368 | |
| 16 | Jenna Rosenthal | 2,348 | |
| 17 | Alisha Glass Childress | 2,293 | |
| 18 | Madison Villines | 2,267 | |
| 19 | Falyn Fonoimoana | 2,209 | |
| 20 | Karsta Lowe | 2,131 | Did not complete season due to injury |
| 21 | Taylor Sandbothe | 2,098 | |
| 22 | Carli Lloyd | 2,076 | |
| 23 | Ali Bastianelli | 2,045 | |
| 24 | Kalei Mau | 2,033 | |
| 25 | Jamie Peterson | 2,012 | |
| 26 | Eri Xue | 1,978 | |
| 27 | Lianna Sybeldon | 1,924 | |
| 28 | Molly McCage | 1,921 | |
| 29 | Emma Willis | 1,898 | |
| 30 | Taylor Morgan | 1,839 | |
| 31 | Taylor Fricano | 1,819 | |
| 32 | Tori Dilfer | 1,728 | |
| 33 | Valerie Nichol | 1,661 | |
| 34 | Ray Santos | 1,619 | |
| 35 | Niki Withers | 1,618 | |
| 36 | Taylor Bruns Tegenrot | 1,605 | |
| 37 | Erica Wilson | 1,405 | Unavailable on Saturday, April 16 |
| 38 | Deja McClendon | 1,379 | |
| 39 | Naya Crittenden | 1,347 | Unavailable on Thursday, April 14 |
| 40 | Rachael Fara | 1,345 | |
| 41 | Naomi Santos-Lamb | 1,194 | |
| 42 | Lauren Stivrins | 901 | Did not complete season due to injury |
| 43 | Sha'Dare McNeal | 802 | Did not complete season due to injury |
| 44 | Tina Boe | 792 | |

## Team Captain Records

Team Captains Records :
| Team | Record (Win %) | Number of Weeks as Captain |
| Team de la Cruz | 10–5 (.667) | 5 |
| Team Sheilla | 4–2 (.667) | 2 |
| Team Lichtman | 2–1 (.667) | 1 |
| Team McClendon | 2–1 (.667) | 1 |
| Team Valentín-Anderson | 5–4 (.556) | 3 |
| Team Drews | 4–8 (.333) | 4 |
| Team Stivrins | 1–2 (.333) | 1 |
| Team Lowe | 1–5 (.167) | 2 |
| Team Cruz | 0–3 (.000) | 1 |

## Awards

The following players were named to the 2022 Dream Team:
Hentz was also named the Defensive Player of the Year.