GRAND RAPIDS RISE 2 vs. Orlando Valkyries 3
April 6, 2024
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Grand Rapids Rise suffered a five-set marathon loss Saturday night against the Orlando Valkyries inside Van Andel Arena. The Valkyries are now 2-0 against the Rise this season after coming away with a grueling 3-2 win by set scores of 25-18, 21-25, 25-21, 19-25, 15-9.
Grand Rapids has now lost three matches in a row for a second time this year.
The Valkyries (7-8) wrapped up a five-match road stretch — the longest for any Pro Volleyball Federation team — by going 3-2 overall and jumped over the Rise (6-8) into third place in the League standings. Despite the defeat, Grand Rapids only dropped to fourth in the standings and still holds the final playoff spot ahead of the Columbus Fury (5-8), San Diego Mojo (4-7), and Vegas Thrill (5-10) with 10 regular-season matches to play.
Orlando got off to a hot start with an early 8-3 lead, which included scoring the first four points. The Rise moved within two points at 9-7 but dropped into a five-point hole again, down 18-13. An ace from Rise setter Ashley Evans cut the deficit to 19-16 to provide some hope. However, the Valkyries went on a 6-2 run to close out the frame. Adora Anae’s third block of the match ended the first set at 25-18.
Rise outside hitter Claire Chaussee went off with 10 kills on 13 attack attempts (.769) in the second set. The offensive firepower from the second-year pro from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, helped Grand Rapids take the frame, 25-21, and even the match at one set apiece. The Rise finished with a season-high 20 kills in the stanza with a .400 hitting percentage. Middle blocker Kayla Caffey also delivered when called upon, going 3-for-3 on her attack attempts in the set.
After not having a single block through the first two sets, the Rise claimed their first block of the match at a perfect time in the third set following a lengthy rally. Opposite hitter Emiliya Dimitrova knocked the ball straight to the floor to give the Rise a 13-11 lead. Rise outside hitter Shannon Scully put down kills No. 10 and No. 11 to give her double-digit knockdowns for the first time this season and lift Grand Rapids to a 21-18 advantage.
Things then fell apart for the Rise as Orlando went on a lopsided 8-0 run to seize the middle frame, 25-18. Abby Hanson, Kaz Brown, and Skylar Fields — making her Pro Volleyball Federation debut — scored points for the Valkyries in the set-ending outburst.
Orlando continued its scoring run by picking up the first two points of the fourth set. Grand Rapids recovered and built up a three-point cushion at 9-6 after a block from Marin Grote. Scully ended another long rally with her 13th kill to push the Rise ahead 13-9. The gap grew to eight points, 18-10, after two Orlando miscues. The Valkyries got as close as 22-18, but the Rise didn’t allow a repeat of the third set. Scully shined again with another kill on set point, 25-19, to force a fifth and final frame.
Hansen helped Orlando creep ahead early in the fifth set with her seventh kill, 3-1. Both teams then traded sideouts with the Rise unable to pull even. Valkyries setter Wilma Rivera notched a surprise kill at 8-5 to really put the pressure on the Rise. That was followed by a Rise attack error and a Grand Rapids serving error that put Orlando four points away, 11-7.
Orlando outside hitter Jill Gillen, who had a relatively quiet night, then popped up with a pair of kills to get the Valkyries within two, 13-8. Scully scored the final Rise point with her 15th kill, but it was return kill from Shaïnah Joseph and block from Brown that ended the match, 15-9.
Brown finished with 13 kills (.500) and four blocks. Anae led Orlando with 19 points (16 kills and three blocks). The Valkyries hit .309 as a team, the second-highest percentage an opponent has accumulated against the Rise this season.
Chaussee paced all scorers with 25 points, getting 23 kills (.340), a block, and an ace. She also collected a team-high 22 digs. Four more Rise players also ended up with double figures in digs: libero Sarah Sponcil (15), Evans (15), Scully (14) and Dimitrova (12). Dimitrova was held to 13 kills (.091) to end her streak of four straight matches with 20 or more kills.
Scully earned her first Rise double-double with 15 kills and the 14 digs. Evans tossed up 52 assists — two shy of her season high.
Notes
- This was the first CBS Sports Network broadcast of Pro Volleyball Federation. CBS Sports Network will nationally televise nine more League matches this season, including the four-team playoffs being held in Omaha, Nebraska, from May 15-18.
- The attendance for Saturday’s match was 5,250. It’s the second-largest home crowd for the Rise this season, only behind the sellout season opener (7,805) against the Columbus Fury on Jan. 25.
- Orlando had eight more blocks than Grand Rapids (14-6). The Rise are now 0-5 when they don’t finish with more blocks than their opponent.
- The Rise and Valkyries will square off again on April 11 in Orlando. It’s the next scheduled match for both teams. The Valkyries haven’t played at home since March 9 when they lost in five sets to the Omaha Supernovas. Orlando is 3-4 at home this year.
ORL 25 21 25 19 15 — 3
GR 18 25 21 25 9 — 2
Team Leaders
ORL: Kills — Adora Anae 16, Kaz Brown 13, Shaïnah Joseph 9; Assists — Wilma Rivera 35, Carly Graham 9; Aces — Brown 1, Rivera 1; Blocks — Brown 4, Anae 3, Abby Hansen 2; Digs — Georgia Murphy 13, Joseph 13, Anae 12.
GR: Kills — Claire Chaussee 23, Shannon Scully 15, Emiliya Dimitrova 13; Assists — Ashley Evans 53, Sarah Sponcil 3; Aces — Chaussee 1, Scully 1, Evans 1, Dimitrova 1; Blocks — Kayla Caffey 2, Marin Grote 1, Chaussee 1, Evans 1, Dimitrova 1; Digs — Chaussee 22, Sarah Sponcil 15, Evans 15, Scully 14.
A — 5,250
Record / Next Match
Grand Rapids: 6-8 / Thu., April 11 at Orlando Valkyries, 7 p.m.
Orlando: 7-8 / Thu., April 11 vs. Grand Rapids Rise, 7 p.m.
Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Rise