Austin Aces Rise-up to Take Week 4 AVP League Play

The home court was kind to the Austin Aces as they won three of four matches and took weekend four of the AVP League play.  Austin sits tied for third place with Dallas, each with a 5-3 record, as the league reaches the halfway point in the season. 

This weekend’s matches saw the Austin Aces take on the Brooklyn Blaze, and the LA Launch fought the Palm Bean Passion.  Idle were the New York Nitro, Dallas Dream, Miami Mayhem and San Diego Smash. 

The Austin Aces men, Olympian Paul Lotman and Billy Allen, delivered an 16-14, 15-11 win over Brooklyn Blaze’s Cody Caldwell and Seain Cook.  The Blaze’s women’s team of Terese Cannon and Megan Kraft claimed redemption in an unexpected 19-17, 15-7 victory over the Aces’ Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss.  It was the first loss of the season of the season for the Austin women. 

And in the first match of the day, 2024 Olympic silver medalist Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson of the Palm Beach Passion easily took down Betsi Flint and Julia Scoles of LA Launch, 15-5, 15-11. 

In contract to the women’s match, the men’s contest between the Passion and the Launch was a very heated competition.  Palm Beach’s Avery Drost and four-time Olympian Phil Dalhausser battled through three intense sets, ultimately clinching the victory over LA’s Tim Bomgren and Troy Field, 12-15, 15-12, 16-14.