In their first away match, the Orlando Valkyries will take on the Atlanta Vibe on Monday, February 12 at 7 p.m. The match will take place at Atlanta’s Gas South Arena and will be streamed on YouTube.
This will be the second meeting between the Valkyries and the Vibe this season. Both teams first faced off at Orlando’s home opener where the Valkyries fell short in a closely contested five-set match. Now with their second face-off and the Valkyries coming off their first win in franchise history against the Vegas Thrill, they are determined to level the playing field.
Valkyries Players to Watch:
Adora Anae led the Valkyries in points during the last match against the Vibe, recording 18 kills, two blocks, and an ace. This trend continued in the Valkyries' first win of their inaugural season with 18 total points. Anae brings six years of professional volleyball experience from various countries including South Korea, Turkey, Puerto Rico, Ukraine, and Greece to the team. Prior to her professional career, Anae excelled at the University of Utah, where she earned recognition as the first-ever player named to the 1st-Team Pac-12 All-Freshman Team. She holds the record for the school's all-time single-season kills leader with 501 kills and was the first player in program history to achieve consecutive AVCA All-American honors, as well as being named to the All-AVCA First Team.
Wilma Rivera came out of the last match against the Vibe with the highest hitting percentage on the team and an impressive 39 out of 48 assists, averaging 7.8 assists per set. Her professional experience spans various teams, including Amazonas de Trujillo Alto, Valencianas de Juncos, Volley-Ball Club Chamalières, and Rote Raben Vilsbiburg. Currently representing the Puerto Rico National Team, Rivera recently earned recognition as the Best Server at the World Olympic Qualification 2024. In her collegiate years, she amassed a collection of honors, including ACC Setter of the Year, AVCA All-American Honorable Mention, AVCA All-Region First Team, and ACC All-Conference First Team.
Vibe Players to Watch:
Leah Edmond is one of the two Vibe players selected to the Preseason All-League Team. In week 2 of the Pro Volleyball Federation’s Weekly Awards, Edmond was named Player of the Week. She has three years of professional experience between Puerto Rico and the US. She was a former teammate of Orlando’s Kaz Brown at the University of Kentucky. During her time there she was a four-time AVCA All-America and All-Region selection and earned SEC player of the year in her junior and senior seasons. She finished her career as the school's all-time leader with 1,978 kills and 4,655 attack attempts. She also holds several Wildcats records, including the rally-scoring era record with 539 kills during her sophomore season and 40 service aces in 2017.
Magdalena Jehlářová, recently activated by The Vibe, was selected with the No. 2 overall pick by the San Diego Mojo in the 2023 Inaugural Pro Volleyball Federation Draft but was traded to Atlanta. In five seasons at Washington State, Jehlářová was a four-time AVCA All-America selection and a four-time All-Pac 12 honoree. She left WSU as the Cougars’ all-time blocks leader and as a member of the 1,000-kill club. From Přerov, Czech Republic, Jehlářová has been competing for the Czech Republic National Team since 2017, with highlights including a European Golden League tournament Championship in 2019 and a second-place finish in 2022. With her recent activation, all eyes are on Jehlářová to see if she will secure a starting position for the upcoming match.
The two teams will face off two more times during the 2024 season.
ABOUT PRO VOLLEYBALL FEDERATION
Pro Volleyball Federation is REAL PRO VOLLEYBALL and the premier women’s professional volleyball league in North America. Pro Volleyball Federation will begin play in January 2024 with world class players and coaches, including some of America’s greatest volleyball players and elite players from around the world. Our entire focus is on ensuring that our level and quality of play, our treatment of players, the quality of our event presentations, and our day-to-day fan experience is world-class and the very best offered in North America. For more information, visit ProVolleyball.com.
ABOUT ORLANDO VALKYRIES
The Orlando Valkyries, proud member team in the Pro Volleyball Federation – the premier women’s professional volleyball league in North America. The Valkyries will play out of Addition Financial Arena, located in the heart of the University of Central Florida campus, and will begin play in January 2024. Home opener and season tickets for the inaugural season are on sale now. For more information on how to get tickets, contact the Orlando Valkyries sales department at (321)-244-4600 Ext. 113, email Tickets@OrlandoValkyries.com, click on www.OrlandoValkyries.com visit the Addition Financial Arena box office, or go to the Ticketmaster website: https://www.ticketmaster.com Fans can follow the team on Facebook or via Twitter Instagram, and TikTok - @ORLValkyries or visit OrlandoValkyries.com.
* Orlando Valkyries, Pro Volleyball, DIG IT! *