This Week’s Matches
RISE (7-8) vs. Atlanta Vibe (8-8) // Thu., March 13 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena
Listen: 96.1 The Game at 6:45 p.m.
Watch: YouTube at 7 p.m.
Season Series: 1-1 Overall, 0-1 Home. Third of four meetings overall, second of two at Van Andel Arena
All-Time Regular Season Series: 4-3 Overall, 1-2 Home
Noteworthy: Grand Rapids kicks off a four-match homestand, the longest of the season. This is the third matchup of the season between the Rise and Vibe. Grand Rapids swept Atlanta in their first meeting on Jan. 19, marking the first three-set match between the two franchises. Atlanta answered with a 3-1 win in Grand Rapids on Feb. 13. All-time, the Rise lead the series with a 15-14 edge in sets, but the Vibe have scored one more point (639-638) across the 29 sets played.
RISE vs. Indy Ignite (8-7) // Sat., March 15 // Noon // Van Andel Arena
Listen: 96.1 The Game at 11:45 a.m.
Watch: YouTube at Noon
Season Series: 0-1 Overall, 0-0 Home. Second of four meetings overall, first of two at Van Andel Arena
All-Time Regular Season Series: 0-1 Overall, 0-0 Home
Noteworthy: The Rise face the Ignite for the first time at home in franchise history. Indy won the inaugural contest between the two teams on Jan. 16 with a 3-0 home sweep by set scores of 25-18, 28-26, 25-16. The Ignite are 6-1 at home, but 2-5 on the road this season.
On the Rise: The Rise’s season has been a rollercoaster, starting with a three-match losing streak, followed by four straight wins, and then a five-match losing skid. Grand Rapids is back on an upswing after sweeping the Vegas Thrill (3/2) and San Diego Mojo (3/5) — first time in franchise history the Rise have won back-to-back 3-0 matches — before winning their first match in San Diego (3/9) to extend their current win streak to three matches.
The Grand Wall: The Rise lead the League in total blocks (179) and blocks per set (3.09), powered by one of the League’s top blockers. Ali Bastianelli ranks second with 44 blocks. Grand Rapids set a PVF record for blocks in a three-set match with 18 in the March 2 over Vegas, tying the team record for most blocks in any match. The Rise registered another 18-block match on Sunday in the four-set road win against San Diego. Alyssa Jensen has become the only Rise player to record five or more blocks in three straight matches, and she is coming off a pro career-best of six kills and six blocks against the Mojo.
PBR Emergence: Outside hitter Paige Briggs-Romine has been a key contributor for Rise, starting the last five matches and reaching double-digit kills in each. She has posted three straight double-doubles with 10 kills (.500) and 10 digs against Vegas on March 2, 10 kills (.259) and a season-high 15 digs against San Diego on March 5, and then a season-high 17 kills (.429) and 11 digs in the rematch against San Diego on March 9. Over these five matches, she has also totaled nine blocks and an ace in every contest.
Shime Starts: Rise opposite hitter Naya Shime was activated from short-term IR and added to the active roster on March 1. In a corresponding move, libero Jena Otec was placed on the practice squad. Shime, a rookie out of Southern Methodist, missed six matches but was a key addition before her injury, averaging over 10 kills per match. Shime didn't feature against Vegas (3/2) or San Diego (3/5) but started her first match back from injury on March 9 in San Diego. She had 12 kills (.265), eight digs, and three blocks.
Beyond Rookie Status: Since taking over as the starting libero after the third match of the season, rookie Elena Oglivie out of Stanford has been a reliable passer and defensive standout for the Rise. She currently leads the team with 177 digs and is on pace to break the Rise’s single-season dig record of 275, set by Emiliya Dimitrova last year. To surpass that mark, Oglivie would need to average just 7.5 digs per match — a feat well within reach given her consistency, with double-digit digs in each of her last 11 matches. She’s also contributed 41 assists this season, averaging 2.7 per match.
100-Point Club: Four Rise players have reached 100 points scored this season with Briggs-Romine (106) becoming the most recent addition after her season-high 20-point performance against San Diego on Sunday. Carli Snyder leads the way with 180 points, followed by Erika Pritchard (165) and Bastianelli (112). Shime only needs 22 more points to join the club.
No Opening Set Jitter: Grand Rapids has been dominant in opening sets lately, winning three straight and seven of its last nine. This season, the Rise are 9-6 in first sets with a +10 point differential. Strong starts have been a trend for Grand Rapids — over the past season and a half, they’ve gone 28-13 in first sets, outscoring opponents 962-896 for a +66 point advantage.
Double-Double Machine: Rise setter August Raskie picked up her 10th double-double of the season with 40 assists and 11 digs against her former team, the Mojo, on Sunday. She is the fourth Rise player in team history to reach double figures, joining former players Claire Chaussee (16), Dimitrova (15), and Ashley Evans (13).
Defense Digs In: The Rise defense stood out on Sunday, holding the Mojo to a .042 hitting percentage — the lowest ever recorded against Grand Rapids. During their three-match win streak, they’ve averaged 17.6 digs per set, backed by strong blocking and back-row play.
Rise-Vibe Connections: A few college ties between the two sides:
- Two former Stanford liberos, Oglivie (2020-24) and Atlanta’s Morgan Hentz (2016-19), cross paths in the professional ranks. Hentz won three NCAA national titles in four seasons as a Cardinal (2019, 2018, 2016).
- Oglivie also played four seasons at Stanford with Vibe middle blocker McKenna Vicini (2019-23).
- Rise outside hitter Snyder competed for Florida (2014-17) alongside two of Vibe’s Marlie Monserez’s sisters: Allie Monserez (2016-18) and Madison Monserez (2011-14). All three Monserez sisters were setters. Snyder graduated just before Marlie’s collegiate career began (2018-21).
Rise-Ignite Connections: New franchise Indy Ignite meets familiar faces on the Rise:
- Former Omaha teammates Paige Briggs-Romine (Rise) and setter Sydney Hilley (Ignite) face off against each other for a second time.
- Both squads have a group of former Purdue standouts. The Rise have Raven Colvin (2021-24), and Jena Otec (2017-21), while the Ignite have Blake Mohler (2015-19) and Grace (Cleveland) Wade (2018-21).
- This past fall, Rise opposite hitter Naya Shime and Ignite middle blocker Nnedi Okammor helped SMU reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
- Ignite outside hitter Carly Skjodt played for the University of Michigan from 2015-18.
Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Rise