Cooper Leads the Way with 19 Kills in Orlando
February 17, 2024 - Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF)
Columbus Fury News Release
Columbus Fury on game night
(Columbus Fury)
ORLANDO - The Columbus Fury (0-2) dropped their match on Friday night in four sets to the Orlando Valkyries (2-2).
Reagan Cooper led the match with 19 kills, a season-high for the rookie. Ray Santos totaled 30 assists and 11 digs, while Valeria Leon led the team with 13 digs.
Set 1
The Fury scored the first point of the match and had the early momentum. The team jumped out to an 11-5 lead, scoring after a long rally on a kill from Ashley Wenz. A 4-0 run behind the serve of Cooper gave the Fury their largest lead of the match, 18-10. Orlando slowly chipped away at the Fury lead and utilized a 4-0 run of their own to tie the set at 24, forcing extra points. Columbus capitalized on late errors from the Valkyries to come away with their first set win of the season, 27-25.
Set 2
Cooper put down her seventh kill of the match, and third in the second set, to give Columbus the early 7-3 lead in set two. After trading points early in the set, the Valkyries took their first lead of the match, 14-13, in the midst of a 4-0 run. Cooper surpassed her kill total in the Fury's opener with her tenth kill of the match to cut the Fury deficit to 20-17. The Fury came back to tie the set at 22, but Orlando closed the set on a 3-0 run to even the match at a set a piece.
Set 3
The teams traded points throughout the first half of set three, with neither team holding more than a two-point advantage through the media timeout. Samantha Drechsel put down her fifth kill of the night to cut the Orlando lead to 19-18, but the Valkyries closed the set with a 6-2 run to take the 25-20 win.
Set 4
After going up 2-1 in the match, the Valkyries used their momentum to open the fourth set with an 8-1 run. Orlando led by as many as 15 points in the set and secured the match with a 25-11 win.
Standout Stats
* Reagan Cooper led the Fury in kills once again, totaling 19 on a .428 hitting percentage. * Raymariely Santos added a double-double with 30 assists and 11 digs, both season-highs. * Valeria León matched her dig total from the first match with 13 on the night. * Asjia O'Neal made her professional debut totaling six kills, three digs, and a block. * Megan Courtney Lush totaled four kills and 12 digs for the match.
Next up
The Fury will head back to Columbus to prep for their home opener against Omaha on Wednesday, Feb. 21. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Nationwide Arena.
Images from this story
 Columbus Fury on game night |
Pro Volleyball Federation Stories from February 17, 2024
- Cooper Leads the Way with 19 Kills in Orlando - Columbus Fury
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