HEAD COACH ÁNGEL PÉREZ
Opening Statement …
“You know, good win for us. I think our first three-point win. That's always good against a really good Vegas team, which was leading the Pro Volleyball Federation. So, I think it speaks highly about the group the way that they have handled adversity, and kept believing in themselves, believing in what we're trying to build and taste like this makes all that sacrifice worth it. So happy with the way we came out to battle, we were fearless, not Fierce less. Like, we've been speaking about we had a service plan, which we executed pretty good. We got their best outside hitter out of the game as fast as we could, and I think it helped us in the long run. Again, Kaley [Rammelsberg] with her serve but not only her, everybody was pressuring from the service line. So, I thought we were good. I thought we handled our mistakes pretty well and the inside goals that we have as a team, the three sets that we want, we achieved that goal. We have been speaking about producing points by ourselves and earning points. Our goal is to create 19. We had 23, 21 and 20 in three sets that we won. We had 16 in the one that we lost. We have been speaking about trying to be smart and keeping the errors as close to six. We were at eight. That said we lost the set that we won. We were seven, six and seven. So, again credit to their hard work. Hopefully, you know, this gives us belief, which is the last thing we should lose. It's still a young season and we're gonna go back to the drawing board and see what we didn't do as well as we were, we wanted to and keep working on it. We have another tough game here on Thursday. So, a quick turnaround. We'll try to be as healthy possible for that match.”
On serving strategies and getting Alisha Glass Childress out of the game …
“I think that was our mentality coming into the game. We spoke that, that team runs how Alicia runs, and we wanted to make her run a 10K during the game. The idea was not necessarily to get aces. The idea was to make the game uncomfortable for them and I think we created that. The aces came along the way, but I thought we were really disciplined with the way we pressured with our serve and put Alisha in a difficult situation. So, we knew that coming into the game and I'm happy, we executed the game plan, and it worked out.”
On Abby Walker taking a knock and the physicality of the game …
“Luckily, it was just a scare at the moment. She feels good. No problem with her vision, no problem with her head. So, we'll see how she wakes up tomorrow, but luckily for us, hopefully, it was just a scare, but I thought today we were playing like a boxing match. You know, we got like four balls driven to the face, Kaley [Rammelsberg] had two in one set, Izzy [Rapacz] had one in blocks. So again, it speaks about resilience, it speaks about grit, it speaks about tenacity of the group and I hope we can continue to build on that.”
On Rammelsberg’s record …
“That doesn't surprise me because she has been working hard on bettering her serve for the last 20 days and results don't happen right away and one day next to the other results take time and slowly we're getting to see the results are starting to come for her. So that doesn't surprise me. They way she's been serving, she's been serving like that in practice to our receivers. So, it's a matter of staying confident, and a game is just like another practice. So, congrats on the record and hopefully six on Thursday.”
On this being a turning point …
“Yeah, absolutely. I think we always keep the good energy. I mean it's literally amazing. We have been tested from the beginning, and I think our main thing is stay together. Go through the process and we're going to come up with the answers.”
WILMA RIVERA, #5, S
On feeding young teammates …
“I love that. It just makes it so easy. Like Kaley [Rammelsberg] just all the time talking about how hungry she is, same with Izabella [Rapacz]. They make it easy to feed them.”
On Megan Lush …
“We love Megan over here. So, I actually played with Megan at Penn State, so I knew her a long time ago and she just makes everything so easy. She’s a great leader. She's always talking in the right spot. Again, she doesn't always get all the kills, but she gets all the other stuff. She just makes it like so easy and better for everybody, so it's a pleasure to have her on the corner.”
KALEY RAMMELSBERG, #18, MB
On being more comfortable …
“I'm definitely a lot more comfortable. Just like getting in practicing, getting reps with the setters and working on our blocking, staying positive about the whole thing, and not getting down and just having trust in my teammates. It's just like trust and hard work definitely have helped me become more comfortable.”
For media inquiries and interviews, contact Kyle Jackson at kjackson@columbusfury.com.
ABOUT THE COLUMBUS FURY
The Columbus Fury is a professional volleyball team in Columbus, Ohio and a founding member of Pro Volleyball Federation, the premier women’s professional volleyball league in North America. The Fury are one of eight teams in the league, joining the Atlanta Vibe, Grand Rapids Rise, Indy Ignite, Omaha Supernovas, Orlando Valkyries, San Diego Mojo and Vegas Thrill for the 2025 season. The Fury play their home matches at Nationwide Arena in downtown Columbus. Tickets for all Columbus Fury matches can be purchased by visiting ColumbusFury.com or by calling the ticket office at (614) 380-FURY. The Fury will begin play at Nationwide Arena on January 11, 2025. For more information about the Fury and season tickets, visit www.columbusfury.com and @columbusfury on social media.
ABOUT PRO VOLLEYBALL FEDERATION
Pro Volleyball Federation is the leading professional volleyball league in the United States. PVF sets the standard for the sport, offering the largest number of franchises, unmatched attendance, extensive broadcast coverage and substantial championship prize money. It combines top-tier talent, including NCAA stars and international athletes, with cutting-edge production and technology to provide fans with an unmatched viewing experience. As a vital link between collegiate volleyball and the professional stage, PVF is dedicated to shaping the future of the sport and increasing visibility for its athletes. For more information, visit ProVolleyball.com.
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For more information contact: Kyle Jackson (kjackson@columbusfury.com)