GRAND RAPIDS RISE 2 vs. Vegas Thrill 3
March 17, 2024
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Grand Rapids Rise were unfortunately unlucky on St. Patrick’s Day as the Vegas Thrill overcame a 2-0 deficit on Sunday inside Van Andel Arena to secure a 3-2 victory by set scores of 21-25, 21-25, 25-21, 25-16, 15-12.
Vegas prevailed in the first meeting between the two Pro Volleyball Federation franchises despite Rise outside hitter Claire Chaussee notching a season-high 24 kills (.315). The Thrill managed to lock down everyone else and blocked the Rise a season-high 17 times, with 12 of the rejections coming in the final three sets.
The Rise held a small cushion throughout most of the first set. A rare assist from outside hitter Symone Abbott aided a Chaussee kill to put Grand Rapids up 15-12 at the media timeout. Rise opposite hitter Emiliya Dimitrova delivered the first ace of the match to increase the advantage to four, 21-17. The Thrill then scored three straight to close within a point, but the Rise used a mini 4-1 run to take the opening frame, 25-21.
The Grand Rapids offense was efficient, hitting .455 with 16 kills on 33 attack attempts. The Rise only had one attack error in the first set.
Chaussee’s team-leading 10th kill of the match put the Rise up 10-8 in the second set. That was followed by Kayla Caffey, who returned to the court after missing three matches while on injured reserve, getting her first kill of the evening to make it 12-8 Rise.
Vegas regrouped after a timeout to draw level at 14-14. Tied again at 21-21, Grand Rapids closed out the second set with a 4-0 spurt, which included two more Chaussee kills, an attack error by the Thrill, and a set-ending spike from Dimitrova.
Dimitrova finished with 19 kills on 45 swings and had the only Rise ace.
Vegas scored the first four points of the third set and turned the momentum of the whole match. The Rise never managed to close the gap and dropped the frame by the inverse score of the first two sets, 21-25. The Thrill hit .353 in the third set and added four blocks defensively.
Vegas jumped out to an early six-point edge in the fourth set, 10-4, and with a block by Khat Bell was still up 15-10 at the media timeout. A pair of blocks by Hannah Maddux and a kill from former Rise practice squad player Kenna Sauer closed out the fourth set, 25-16 for the Thrill, and forced a decisive fifth frame.
Despite scoring the first two points of the final set, the Rise again found themselves trailing 5-3 after a kill from Maddux. Grand Rapids traded points with Vegas but was unable to pull even. Bell provided the match-ending kill at 15-12. She finished with a team-high 18 kills (.410), 16 digs, and three blocks for the Thrill.
Notes
- Sauer, who was picked up by Vegas on Feb. 12, became the first former Rise player to play against Grand Rapids. Sauer played the final four sets after not playing the opening frame. She finished with seven kills, seven digs, two blocks, and an ace.
- Both Chaussee and Dimitrova eclipsed 100 digs for the season during the match. Chaussee (110) and Dimitrova (105) are both behind libero Sarah Sponcil (151) for the team lead.
- Rise setter Ashley Evans finished one assist shy of reaching the 50-assist mark in a match for a second time this season. Evans split time in the third and fourth sets with Mac Podraza, who collected seven assists.
- This was the only Pro Volleyball Federation match played on St. Patrick’s Day.
VG 21 21 25 25 15 — 3
GR 25 25 21 16 12 — 2
Team Leaders
VG: Kills — Khat Bell 18, Hannah Maddux 16, Berkeley Oblad 11; Assists — Alisha Glass Childress 56, Kylie Murr 2; Aces — Maddux 2, Oblad 1, Kenna Sauer 1; Blocks — Layne Van Buskirk 6, Bell 3, Maddux 3, Oblad 3; Digs — Bell 16, Kylie Murr 16, Glass Childress 10.
GR: Kills — Claire Chaussee 24, Emiliya Dimitrova 19, Symone Abbott 10; Assists — Ashley Evans 49, Mac Podraza 7, Sarah Sponcil 3; Aces — Dimitrova 1; Blocks — Chaussee 2, Abbott 2, Kayla Caffey 2; Digs — Chaussee 11, Sponcil 9, Dimitrova 9, Abbott 9.
A — 4,259
Record / Next Match
Grand Rapids: 4-5 / Wed., March 20 at Columbus Fury, 7 p.m.
Vegas: 5-7 / Sun., March 24 vs. San Diego Mojo, 4 p.m. PDT
Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Rise