WNT Update: Beginnings and Endings

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Nov. 10, 2023) – Brazil’s women’s club season kicked off with the Super Cup while Athletes United ended with a big honor for Morgan Hentz.

BRAZIL

Gerdau Minas with U.S. setter Jenna Gray won its first ever Brazilian Super Cup title, beating Dentil Praia Clube in the final, 3-2 (25-19, 26-24, 25-22, 21-25, 15-12). The Brazilian league regular season begins this week.

ATHLETES UNLIMITED

Libero Morgan Hentz was named Defensive Player of the Year at the end of Athletes Unlimited’s five-week season.

Hentz led the league with 212 digs. On Oct. 6, Hentz broke the single-game digs record picking up 25 in the match. Hentz was a captain for four out of the five weeks this season and was undefeated in her first nine matches.

Outside hitter Brooke Nuneviller finished third overall with 3,582 total leaderboard points. She logged the third-most kills this season with 179, along with 156 digs. She made only 36 hitting errors on 476 attempts.

Former National Team middle blocker Tori Dixon was named to the 2023 All-Position Team.

Setter Sydney Hilley finished eighth. Libero Kendall White placed 15th. Middle blocker Danielle Hart finished 26th.

Outside hitter Leah Edmond won the overall player championship.

ITALY

Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano with outside hitters Kelsey Cook, Kathryn Plummer and Khalia Lanier and setter Madi Bugg improved to 5-0 with two wins this week. On Nov. 1, Conegliano beat Savino Del Bene Scandicci with middle blocker Haleigh Washington, 3-1 (26-24, 27-25, 23-25, 25-20).

Cook scored 15 points on 14 kills and one ace. Lanier scored 10 points on 10 kills. Bugg played as a substitute and Plummer did not play. Washington played as a substitute for Scandicci.

On Nov. 5, Conegliano beat middle blocker Dana Rettke, outside hitter Kara Bajema and Allianz Vero Volley Milano, 3-1 (23-25, 25-18, 25-20, 25-15). Cook scored 17 points on 14 kills, two blocks and one ace. Plummer added 13 points on 10 kills, two blocks and one ace. Lanier and Bugg did not play.

For Milano (4-1), Rettke played as a substitute and scored four points on four kills. Bajema played as a substitute and scored three points on three kills.

On Nov. 1, Rettke, Bajema and Milano beat Volley Bergamo 1991 (1-5), 3-1 (25-23, 25-22, 20-25, 25-18). Bajema scored 11 points on six kills, three blocks and two aces. Rettke added 10 points on nine kills and one block. For Bergamo, U.S. opposite Audriana Fitzmorris played as a substitute.

On Nov. 4, Washington and Scandicci (4-2) beat Itas Trentino, 3-0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-18). Washington scored 14 points on 10 kills, three blocks and one ace.

Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri ’76 with outside hitters Avery Skinner and Madi Kingdon Rishel went 2-0 in its last two matches. On Nov. 1, Chieri beat Megabox Ond. Savio Vallefoglia, 3-1 (25-22, 18-25, 25-22, 25-23). Skinner scored 14 points on 11 kills, two blocks and one ace. Kingdon Rishel scored nine points on seven kills and two aces.

On Nov. 5, Chieri beat Wash4green Pinerolo, 3-0 (25-20, 25-15, 25-21). Skinner led all scorers with 17 points on 15 kills, one block and one ace. Kingdon Rishel was named match MVP as she scored nine points on six kills, two blocks and one ace. She was credited with 34 receptions, 62 percent positive.

Honda Olivero S.Bernardo Cuneo (3-3) with middle blocker Anna Hall and outside hitter Madi Kubik went 1-1 in its last two matches. On Nov. 1, it beat Trasportipesanti Casalmaggiore (2-4) with setter Micha Hancock, 3-0 (26-24, 25-16, 25-19).

Hall scored seven points on six kills and one ace. Kubik did not play. Hancock scored five points on two kills and three aces.

On Nov. 5, S.Bernardo Cuneo fell to Igor Gorgonzola Novara, 3-0 (25-18, 25-14, 25-22). Hall scored three points on two kills and one block. Kubik started the third set and scored two points on two kills.

On Nov. 5, Hancock and Casalmaggiore beat Il Bisonte Firenze (3-3) with middle Lauren Stivrins, 3-0 (25-11, 25-21, 25-20). Hancock scored four points on three kills and one ace. She set her team to a .404 hitting efficiency. Stivrins scored nine points on eight kills and one block.

TÜRKIYE

VakifBank with outside hitter Ali Frantti, middle blocker Chiaka Ogbogu and opposite Jordan Thompson improved to 7-0, winning its last two matches. On Oct. 31, VakifBank beat Nilüfer Belediyespor, 3-1 (25-16, 22-25, 25-16, 25-19). Ogbogu scored 14 points on nine kills and a match-high five blocks. Thompson scored 13 points on 12 kills and one ace. Frantti did not play.

On Nov. 4, VakifBank beat Sarıyer Belediyespor (2-4) with outside hitter Simone Lee, 3-0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-18). Frantti led all scorers with 17 points on a match-high 13 kills, a match-high three blocks and one ace. Thompson added 14 points on eight kills, one block and a match-high four aces. Ogbogu did not play.

On Oct. 31, Lee led all scorers as Sarıyer Belediyespor beat Çukurova Belediyesi, 3-2 (25-15, 25-17, 21-25, 10-25, 15-12). Lee finished with 25 points on 23 kills and two blocks.

Outside hitter Sarah Wilhite Parsons and Kuzeyboru (4-2) went 1-1 in their last two matches. On Oct. 31, Kuzeyboru fell to Eczacıbaşı Dynavit, 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-20). Wilhite Parsons scored nine points on seven kills and two blocks.

On Nov. 4, Kuzeyboru beat Çukurova Belediyesi, 3-0 (27-25, 25-22, 25-15). Wilhite Parsons led all scorers with 20 points on 18 kills and two blocks.

Setter Lauren Carlini and Aydın Büyükşehir Belediyespor (1-5) got their first win on Oct. 31, 3-0 (25-14, 25-15, 26-24) over Karayollari. Carlini scored three points on two blocks and an ace. She set her team to a .336 hitting efficiency.

On Nov. 4, Aydın Büyükşehir Belediyespor fell to Beşiktaş Ayos Istanbul, 3-0 (25-16, 25-23, 26-24). Carlini scored three points on one kill, one block and one ace. She set her team to a .307 hitting efficiency.

Galatasaray Daikin (2-4) with opposite Danielle Cuttino, outside hitter Logan Eggleston and middle blocker Heather Gneiting fell to Türk Hava Yolları on Oct. 31, 3-1 (25-18, 23-25, 25-23, 25-15). Cuttino led her team with 19 points on 18 kills and one block. Gneiting scored five points on two kills and three blocks. Eggleston scored one point as a substitute.

On Nov. 4, Galatasaray Daikin fell to Fenerbahce Opet, 3-1 (26-24, 19-25, 25-19, 25-22). Cuttino led all scorers with 27 points on 23 kills, one block and three aces. Gneiting totaled five points on three kills, one block and one ace. Eggleston scored two points as a substitute.

JAPAN

Opposite Annie Drews and JT Marvelous improved to 6-0 and lead the Japanese league.

On Nov. 4, JT Marvelous beat the Denso Airy Beads 3-2 (23-25, 23-25, 25-16, 25-21, 17-15). Drews led all scorers with 30 points on 28 kills and two blocks.

On Nov. 5, JT Marvelous beat the NEC Red Rockets with outside hitter Dani Drews, 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-22). Annie Drews again led all scorers with 19 points on a match-high 15 kills and a match-high four blocks. Dani Drews led the Red Rockets with 14 points on 12 kills and two blocks.

FRANCE

Opposite Taylor Mims and Nantes (4-1) beat Cannes on Nov. 4, 3-2 (23-25, 25-21, 17-25, 25-18, 15-10). Mims started the first three sets and scored 17 points on 16 kills and one block.

ROMANIA

Setter Ashley Evans and CSM Bucuresti improved to 4-1 on Nov. 3 with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-20) win over FC Arges. Evans scored four points on a kill, a block and two aces. She set Bucuresti to a .425 hitting efficiency.

CEV CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Defending champion VakifBank got the 2023-24 edition of Champions League off to a good start with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-13, 29-27) Pool A win over France’s Volley Mulhouse Alsace on Nov. 8. Ali Frantti led all scorers with 13 points on 10 kills and three aces. Jordan Thompson added 10 points on 10 kills. Chiaka Ogbogu had eight points on five kills, two blocks and an ace.

Allianz Vero Volley Milano with Dana Rettke and Kara Bajema won its opening Pool A match over Serbia’s Jedinstvo Stara Pazova, 3-0 (25-15, 25-16, 25-20) on Nov. 9. Rettke scored nine points on four kills and five blocks.

In Pool B, Haleigh Washington and Italy’s Savino Del Bene Scandicci won its opening pool play match over Bulgaria’s Maritza Plovdiv 3-0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-11) on Nov. 8. Washington scored six points on six kills.

In Pool C, U.S. libero Justine Wong-Orantes and Germany’s SC Potsdam began play in the Champions League on Nov. 7, beating Poland’s Grot Budowlani Łódź, 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 26-24). Wong-Orantes was credited with 36 percent positive receptions.

In Pool D, Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano with Cook, Plummer, Lanier and Bugg beat Belgium’s Asterix Avo Beveren 3-0 (27-25, 25-16, 25-16) on Nov. 7. Lanier scored 10 points on nine kills and one ace. Plummer scored three points on three kills. Bugg scored three points on two kills and an ace.

CEV CUP

Italy’s Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri ’76 with Avery Skinner and Madi Kingdon Rishel beat Switzerland’s FKB Power Cats Düdingen, 3-0 (25-14, 25-15, 25-18) on Nov. 7. Kingdon Rishel scored nine points on seven kills and two block.

CEV CHALLENGE CUP

Ashley Evans and Romania’s CSM Bucuresti won their round of 16 match over Hungary’s Fatum Nyíregyháza, 3-1 (25-20, 25-18, 17-25, 25-18) on Nov. 8. Evans scored seven points on five blocks and two aces.

Taylor Mims and France’s Neptunes Nantes beat Czech Republic’s PVK Olymp Praha, 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-20) in the round of 16 on Nov. 8. Mims scored 22 points on 21 kills and one block.

Türkiye’s Galatasaray Daikin with Danielle Cuttino, Logan Eggleston and Heather Gneiting beat Finland’s Hämeenlinna LR in the round of 16, 3-0 (25-14, 25-18, 25-13). Eggleston scored 18 points on 16 kills and two aces. Cuttino scored 11 points on 11 kills. Gneiting added six points on two kills, one block and three aces.