GRAND RAPIDS RISE 1 vs. Omaha Supernovas 3
Feb. 12, 2024
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — With a 3-1 loss to the Omaha Supernovas on Monday night, the Grand Rapids Rise became the final Pro Volleyball Federation team to lose a match. The Rise certainly didn’t go down easily at Van Andel Arena, losing a four-set marathon match by set scores of 25-21, 31-33, 28-30, 21-25.
The match lasted two hours and 42 minutes from start to finish following a handful of lengthy rallies and a pair of sets that tried their best to never end.
The Rise moved the ball around the court and got their key attackers involved in the first set. Four different players recorded three or more kills to open the match: Symone Abbott (6), Claire Chaussee (4), Emiliya Dimitrova (3) and Kayla Caffey (3).
However, leading 22-17, the Supernovas stormed back with a 4-0 run to force a Grand Rapids’ timeout. The Rise regrouped and scored the next three points as Abbott, Chaussee and Marin Grote put down kills to close out the set, 25-21. Grand Rapids hit .342 as a team in the frame.
The teams couldn’t be separated by more than two points leading up to the media timeout, with Abbott delivering the first Rise ace of the match to give Grand Rapids a 15-14 lead. The back-for-forth action continued to set point and beyond for one of the most entertaining sets played so far in the inaugural season of Pro Volleyball Federation.
Grand Rapids reached set point six times (24-23, 25-24, 27-26, 28-27, 29-28, 31-30) but was unable to shut the door. Despite the crowd against them, Omaha tied the match at 1-1 with kills from Bethania De La Cruz and Jess Schaben-Lansman to claim a wild second set, 33-31. The final point crossed over the net 17 times before hitting the floor.
The Supernovas used the momentum of winning the second frame to jump out to a 7-2 lead in the third set. Rise head coach Cathy George saw enough and called an early timeout.
Facing an uphill battle for one of the first times this season, the Rise rallied with a 10-5 run to draw level at 12-12 in the third set and force Omaha interim head coach Laura ‘Bird’ Kuhn to use her first timeout.
Following a Chaussee ace to even the score at 18-18, the Rise went on a 3-0 spurt with Chaussee behind the service line. Caffey put up her third block to give Grand Rapids a 21-18 advantage; but Omaha fought back with a 4-1 run to tie the score once again, 22-22.
Chaussee finished with a match-high 19 kills and added 15 digs. Four other Rise players also finished with double-digit digs: libero Sarah Sponcil (23), Dimitrova (15), Abbott (10) and setter Ashley Evans (10). Evans tossed up 43 assists and had three blocks as well.
Flashing red lights inside Van Andel Arena, signaling Rise set point, when off five more times in the third set at 24-23, 25-24, 26-25, 27-26, and 28-27. But, against the odds, Omaha won another drawn out set, 30-28, with a block from Tori Dixon and a frame-ending kill from Natalia Valentin-Anderson.
After dropping two lengthy sets, the Rise quickly fell behind 10-4 in the fourth set. A change was needed, and George turned to her second setter Mac Podraza to try and turn things around. Making her first appearance of the season, Podraza provided a jumpstart to the Rise offense by getting Grote going. The 6-foot-4 middle blocker had four of her five kills in the frame. Her fifth kill had the Rise within a point at 21-20.
Omaha, however, survived the late surge and put the Rise away with a 4-1 run, ending the last set with a reverse score of how the opening set ended, 25-21.
Notes
- Grote picked up a team-high five blocks to go with her five kills and four digs. She finished with a team-best .417 hitting percentage. As a team, the Rise hit a season-low .201 percentage while the Supernovas (.197) weren’t any better.
- Alongside Podraza, outside hitter Erika Pritchard also made her first appearance for the Rise this season by serving late in the second set.
- The Rise came into the contest 3-0 on sets decided by three points or less but were unable to win either of the crucial second or third sets.
OMA 21 33 30 25 — 3
GR 25 31 28 21 — 1
Team Leaders
OMA: Kills — Brooke Nuneviller 18, Jess Schaben-Lansman 17, Vuchkova Hristina 8, Bethania De La Cruz 8; Assists — Natalia Valentin-Anderson 50, Kendall White 5; Aces — De La Cruz 6, Paige Briggs 2, Hristina 1, Nuneviller 1; Blocks — Tori Dixon 3, Schaben-Lansman 3, Hristina 3; Digs — Valentin-Anderson 19, White 18, De La Cruz 11, Schaben-Lansman 10.
GR: Kills —Claire Chaussee 19, Emiliya Dimitrova 16, Symone Abbott 15; Assists — Ashley Evans 43, Mac Podraza 9, Sarah Sponcil 5; Aces — Chaussee 1, Abbott 1, Shannon Scully 1; Blocks — Marin Grote 5, Kayla Caffey 3, Evans 3; Digs — Sponcil 23, Chaussee 15, Dimitrova 15, Evans 10, Abbott 10.
A — 4,060
Record / Next Match
Grand Rapids: 2-1 / Sun., Feb. 18 vs. Atlanta Vibe, 4 p.m.
Omaha: 2-2 / Thu., Feb. 15 at Vegas Thrill, 10 p.m.
Photo by Maria Gordon