Nitro secures first place and a battle remains for a championship spot – Daily News

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Palm Beach Passion’s Phil Dalhausser prepares the ball in the game against the San Diego Smash at Honda Center on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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ANAHEIM – The New York Nitro secured a share of first place in the AVP league after splitting their matches on Sunday. Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes bounced back from a loss on Saturday to beat the Austin Aces women’s pairing.

The Aces men, however, claimed a three-set victory over Nitro to maintain a one-game lead over San Diego Smash for the final Championship spot.

The Smash were in last place heading into Weekend 7 at the Honda Center, but finished 3-1 (their only loss was in three sets to the Palm Beach Passion women) to keep their postseason hopes alive.

The fight for fourth place between Smash, Aces and LA Launch will be decided next weekend in Dallas.

Match 1: San Diego Smash vs. Palm Beach Passion (Women)

The Smash built a 14-10 lead in the third set, but lost four consecutive match points. The murder of Melissa Humana-Paredes tied the score at 14, forcing a two-win scenario.

“I think Melissa just made the decision to take over that game,” said Brandie Wilkerson, Paredes’ teammate.

That may be true, but it was Wilkerson’s words that gave Paredes the confidence to make another kill and establish his own match point.

Just before starting that race, Paredes looked at Wilkerson and said, “Nothing is working, what do we do?”

“Just get out,” Wilkerson replied, softly.

Wilkerson’s next shot decided the outcome as he defeated Smash (15-10, 12-15, 16-14).

Match 2: San Diego Smash vs. Palm Beach Passion (Men)

Chase Budinger and Miles Evans stayed focused during the longest set of the season, outscoring the Palm Beach Passion men 21-19 in the first frame. Tied at 19, Budinger’s shot sailed down the left side of the court. He then served an ace with a soft serve that died in front of Phil Dalhausser’s feet.

The second set wasn’t as long as Smash took a 9-3 lead. They held set point at 14-8, when Dalhausser found Budinger at the net, blocking his shot. It was originally called, but on the replay the ball touched the line.

“Fortunately, we were a couple of points ahead,” Evans said. “We were pretty relaxed there.”

The Smash regrouped to win the match on the next point. The victory (21-19, 15-10) kept them alive in the race for fourth place in the championship.

Match 3: New York Nitro vs. Austin Aces (women)

A smile appeared on Kelly Cheng’s face. I couldn’t delete it if I tried. Not after having put a perfect spin on the ball, nor having placed it with such precision. In the second set, Cheng returned an Aces hit that crossed the entire court, placing it just inside the opposite boundary from which it came.

“She’s just unstoppable,” Sara Hughes said of Cheng, her teammate. “It’s one of those feelings where you can put anything into it and you know she’ll make it.”

Cheng had all the tricks on Sunday. Her chance to win the first set was too quick for Taryn Kloth’s instincts. He had a shot that broke the 9-9 tie in the second set. She followed up with a shot that landed just out of reach of Kristen Nuss. Another kill from Cheng set up a match point, before his ace won the match for Nitro (15-10, 15-11).

Match 4: New York Nitro vs. Austin Aces (men)

Nitro’s Taylor Sander and Taylor Crabb made the Aces look foolish during the first set. They switched between straights and soft lobs, constantly changing serving tactics. Then, for set point, Sander threw a sky-ball, which Paul Lotman returned, but right into Crabb’s block.

“They were firing on all cylinders,” said Billy Allen of the Aces. “We couldn’t really touch them.”

Things apparently got worse when Lotman “heard a pop in his knee.” Play was stopped for five minutes before Lotman returned.