Next Week’s Matches
RISE (6-6) vs. Atlanta Vibe (10-4) // Mon., April 1 // 7 p.m. EDT // Van Andel Arena
Listen: 96.1 The Game at 6:45 p.m.
Watch: YouTube at 7 p.m.
Season Series: 2-0 Overall, 1-0 Home. Third of four meetings overall, second of two at Van Andel Arena
Noteworthy: Grand Rapids is the only Pro Volleyball Federation team to beat Atlanta twice this season, as well as the only team the Vibe haven’t defeated. Atlanta will host one more match against the San Diego Mojo on Saturday, March 30, before coming to Grand Rapids for the Monday night clash. The Vibe will be starting a stretch with three straight road matches, while the Rise just finished playing three consecutive away contents.
RISE vs. Orlando Valkyries (5-8) // Sat., April 6 // 7 p.m. EDT // Van Andel Arena
Listen: 96.1 The Game at 6:45 p.m.
Watch: CBS Sports Network at 7 p.m.
Season Series: 0-1 Overall, 0-0 Home. Second of four meetings overall, first of two at Van Andel Arena
Noteworthy: Grand Rapids aims to avenge a 3-1 road loss from March 1. Orlando won by set scores of 20-25, 25-21, 30-32, 25-27. The Valkyries are making their first trip to Grand Rapids. There will be a rematch on April 11 in Orlando, the next match for both teams.
Vibe’s Kryptonite: The Atlanta Vibe have beaten every team in the Pro Volleyball Federation except the Rise, who have upended the current League leaders twice — once on the road, 3-1, and once at home, 3-2. Two of the three sets the Rise lost were by the minimum of 25-23. Atlanta is 13-1 in sets decided by two points.
Rise opposite hitter Emiliya Dimitrova had the most kills in a single match against the Vibe this season when she powered down 26 on Feb. 18. Marin Grote's season-high mark of seven blocks also came in that match. The Rise set multiple team records on Feb. 18 that haven’t been broken, including kills (72), total attacks (196), and digs (86).
Constructing a Wall: Mostly due to injuries, the middle of the front row for the Rise has been a constant revolving door. Grand Rapids has had to utilize every middle blocker on its roster to play in key situations. One of the recent additions to the starting lineup has been Holland, Michigan, native Alyssa Jensen (nee Garvelink). After only playing one set through the first six Rise matches, Jensen has now played significant minutes in five out of the last six contests with Kayla Caffey and Nia Grant both spending time on short-term injured reserve.
Jensen has made her presence known defensively with 15 blocks in those five matches, including four blocks in three straight matches. She has been rotating court time with Grote, who has been the lone consistent starter in the middle for the Rise this year. Grote has registered a block in every match so far this season and leads the team with 40 rejections. Grand Rapids has had more blocks than its opponent over the last three matches and tied its season high with 15 blocks at Vegas on March 26.
Beware of Late-Match Sets: Jumping out to early set leads has been the standard for the Rise this season, while closing out matches has been a challenge at times. Here is how Grand Rapids has fared across the different sets:
- First Set: 9-3 with a +45 point differential (304-259);
- Second Set: 7-5 with a +5 differential (285-280);
- Third Set: 4-8 with a -3 point differential (289-292);
- Fourth Set: 5-6 with a -10 point differential (267-277);
- Fifth Set: 1-2 with a -5 point differential (36-41).
The Rise had won their last five opening sets before losing the first set to Omaha on March 28. At the halfway mark of the regular season, Grand Rapids has a +32 point differential (1,181-1,149) and is 26-24 across all sets played.
Rising to the Occasion: Dimitrova is averaging 24.5 points over her last four matches. This includes 28 points (23 kills, four blocks and an ace) against Columbus on March 20, and 27 points (23 kills, two blocks and two aces) in Omaha on March 28. Adding in the 30 points scored at Orlando on March 1 and 29 points against Atlanta on Feb. 18, Dimitrova now holds the top four spots for the most points scored by a Rise player in a single match.
The 17-year veteran continues to shine when Grand Rapids needs her the most. Dimitrova has converted the most Rise set points this season, closing out eight different frames. Claire Chaussee is second on the team with four set-point conversions.
Road Trip Recap: The Rise completed three road matches in nine days with a tightly contested 3-1 loss at Omaha on Thursday. Grand Rapids went 2-1 during the road stretch and is now 3-4 away from home this season. The Rise have one more segment on their schedule at the end of April with three straight away matches. Grand Rapids will play nine total matches in April, more than any other month, with five of them being on the road at five different venues. Between April 11-20, the Rise will play five matches in 10 days and will alternate between playing at home and on the road during those matches.
Rise – Vibe Connections: Two who followed a similar path to the pros and a teammate reunion:
- Atlanta Vibe head coach Todd Dagenais graduated from Central Michigan ('95) and spent five seasons with the Michigan State women's volleyball team from 1998-2003 serving as the associate head coach. He left the program before Rise head coach Cathy George took over as MSU's head coach in 2005.
- Evans (2013-17) and Vibe opposite hitter Grace Cleveland (2018-21) played college volleyball for Purdue but missed being teammates by a year.
- Middle blockers Caffey (Rise) and Shelly Fanning (Vibe) played together professionally in Puerto Rico with Criollas de Caguas during the 2022-23 season.
Rise – Valkyries Connections: While neither team has any players from the opposing state, former teammates will reunite:
- Evans and Valkyries middle blocker Blake Mohler played at Purdue together for two seasons (2015-16). Mohler redshirted in 2015, but both played for the Boilermakers in 2016 with Evans collecting 1,403 assists and Mohler having 188 kills and averaging 0.92 blocks per set.
- Orlando outside hitter Carly Skjodt is a former University of Michigan volleyball captain and played three seasons (2016-18) with Rise director of volleyball operations MacKenzi Welsh-Vazquez. Skjodt also played in the AVP Beach Volleyball tour against Sponcil.
- Outside hitters Shannon Scully (Rise) and Adora Anae (Valkyries) were part of the 2017 Utah volleyball team that reached the NCAA Tournament regional semifinals.
Broom Getting Dusty: Since sweeping the Fury in the season opener on Jan. 25, the Rise have only played in four and five set matches. Sweeps have been uncommon for the entire League with only 11 happening in the 43 matches played so far (25.6%). There have been 21 four-set matches (48.8%) and 11 five-set matches (25.6%).
Grand Rapids and Omaha are the only two teams that have completed a sweep this season and haven't been swept themselves. Columbus, Vegas, Atlanta, and San Diego comprise the four teams that have completed a sweep and have also been swept this year.
Double-Double Counter: Through 12 Pro Volleyball Federation matches, the Rise have had 24 double-double performances. Chaussee leads the way with 10, followed by Dimitrova with seven, setter Ashley Evans with five, and outside hitter Symone Abbott with two. Grand Rapids has yet to have a player reach a triple-double, with Dimitrova coming the closest on March 20 with 23 kills, 12 digs, and four blocks at Columbus.
Mini Milestones Tracker: The following achievements were accomplished in Omaha on March 28:
- Sarah Sponcil: 200 digs this season;
- Chaussee: 10th double-double;
- Dimitrova: Fifth 20-plus kill match;
- Evans: 500 assists and 100 digs this season;
- Dimitrova, Sponcil and Chaussee: 50 sets played.
Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Rise