GRAND RAPIDS RISE 3 vs. San Diego Mojo 0
Feb. 2, 2025
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Relentless blocking and defense, paired with an efficient offense, powered the Grand Rapids Rise to a franchise-best fourth consecutive win Sunday night, defeating the San Diego Mojo in straight sets by scores of 25-19, 25-22, 25-22. A home crowd of 4,482 at Van Andel Arena witnessed the team’s first home sweep of the season, and its second overall.
With the win, Grand Rapids (4-3) moved above the .500 mark for the first time this season.
The Rise set the tone early by scoring the first two points with a block from Marin Grote and a kill from Erika Pritchard, who was coming off a record-setting performance with 27 points in the win over the Orlando Valkyries on Thursday, Jan. 30. Grand Rapids extended the lead to 5-1, then 11-3 after former Mojo middle blocker Ali Bastianelli bookended a San Diego timeout with a pair of blocks. Rise setter August Raskie, also playing against her former team from a season ago, picked up her first of four kills in the match to give the Rise a 10-point cushion, 14-4.
Grand Rapids finished with a season-best five blocks in the opening frame, with Bastianelli picking up three. The Marysville, Michigan, native finished the match with seven blocks, tying Grote’s Rise franchise record for most rejections in a single match.
Rookie opposite hitter Naya Shime also delivered a strong performance in the first set, closing it out at 25-19 with her sixth kill. She finished with a season-high 14 kills (.333) and recorded her first double-double of the season with 11 digs.
The second set started in stark contrast to the first, as San Diego jumped out to an early 8-3 lead. The deficit grew to six points by the media timeout with the Mojo leading 16-10. Sparked by two blocks, a kill, and an ace from Bastianelli, the Rise used a 7-1 run to even the score at 17-17. Pritchard added another ace to give Grand Rapids its first lead of the set, 18-17.
Following Pritchard’s seventh kill of the match and Raven Colvin’s first block, Shime once again stepped up for the Rise on set point and delivered a winning kill, 25-22.
The Rise jumped out to a 4-0 lead to start the third set, but San Diego responded with four straight points to even the score. From there, neither team led by more than two as they battled to a 19-19 tie. Bastianelli's record-tying seventh block broke the deadlock, followed by a Raskie kill and two more from Pritchard to push the Rise ahead 23-19. A Pritchard block brought Grand Rapids to match point, capping off her team-high five-point effort in the final frame. Carli Snyder sealed the sweep with a back-row kill, 25-22.
Grand Rapids hit .288 for the match and held San Diego to .168. The Rise also had more blocks (15-7), digs (51-37), and assists (41-39).
Notes
- Playing against their former team from a season ago, Bastianelli recorded a season-high 12 points (seven blocks, four kills, and an ace), while Raskie finished with 37 assists, seven digs, and four kills on 10 attack attempts (.400).
- For the first time in franchise history, the Rise recorded more aces (5) than service errors (3) in a match, highlighting their precision from the service line. Pritchard led the way with two aces, while middle blockers Colvin, Grote, and Bastianelli each added one.
- Rise libero Elena Oglivie had a team-high 12 digs with a 50% positive and 36% perfect pass percentage on receptions. She also picked up three assists.
- Former Rise libero Sarah Sponcil didn’t play in the match for the Mojo.
- San Diego had two players tally double-digit kills: Kendra Dahlke (12, .233) and Maya Tabron (10, .172). Middle blocker Ronika Stone was held to seven points, with six kills on a .083 attack percentage.
GR 25 25 25 — 3
SD 19 22 22 — 0
Team Leaders
GR: Kills — Naya Shime 14, Erika Pritchard 10, Carli Snyder 6; Assists — August Raskie 37, Elena Oglivie 3; Aces — Pritchard 2, Raven Colvin 1, Marin Grote 1, Ali Bastianelli 1; Blocks — Bastianelli 7, Snyder 2, Pritchard 2, Shime 2; Digs — Oglivie 12, Shime 11, Snyder 8.
SD: Kills — Kendra Dahlke 12, Maya Tabron 10, Ronika Stone 6; Assists — DaYeong Lee 36, Shara Venegas 2; Aces —DaYeong 2, Leyla Blackwell 2; Blocks — Blackwell 2, Tabron 2; Digs — DaYeong 8, Elise McGhee 7, Venegas 6, Tabron 6.
A — 4,482
Record / Next Match
Grand Rapids: 4-3 / Fri., Feb. 7 at Columbus Fury, 7 p.m.
San Diego: 3-4 / Fri., Feb. 7 vs. Vegas Thrill, 7:05 p.m. PST
Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Rise