This Week’s Matches
RISE (7-11) vs. Columbus Fury (5-13) // Fri., March 28 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena
Listen: 96.1 The Game at 6:45 p.m.
Watch: The Roku Channel at 7 p.m.
Season Series: 1-2 Overall, 0-1 Home. Fourth of four meetings overall, second of two at Van Andel Arena
All-Time Regular Season Series: 4-3 Overall, 2-1 Home
Noteworthy: After the Rise reverse-swept the Fury in their first meeting this season on Jan. 26, Columbus responded by winning the next two matchups, both of which went to five sets as well. With a win, Columbus would improve to 3-1 against Grand Rapids this season, after Grand Rapids went 3-1 against Columbus last season. The Fury are 1-6 on the road this season, with their only away victory coming against the Rise on Feb. 20.
RISE at Omaha Supernovas (12-5) // Sun., March 30 // 4 p.m. EDT // CHI Health Center
Watch: YouTube at 4 p.m.
Season Series: 0-1 Overall, 0-0 Away. Second of four meetings overall, first of two at CHI Health Center
All-Time Regular Season Series: 1-4 Overall, 0-2 Away
Noteworthy: Grand Rapids and Omaha will meet for the first time since the Rise's home opener on January 12 at Van Andel Arena. In that match, the defending PVF champions, the Supernovas, swept the Rise in three closely contested sets: 25-21, 25-23, 25-22. Omaha currently leads the league with a 12-5 record, but three of those losses have come in the form of sweeps, handed to them by the Indy Ignite and the Orlando Valkyries (twice). Notably, three of those defeats also occurred in Omaha.
Edge of Glory: In their last outing, the Rise fell in a four-set match against the Vegas Thrill, with three of the sets decided by just two points and the other by three points. It marked only the second time in franchise history that the Rise lost a four-set match where every set was decided by three points or fewer. Additionally, it was the first time this season the Rise lost a four-set match by a total point margin of five or fewer (108-103). During their current three-match losing streak, the Rise have gone 3-6 in sets decided by three points or less, with nine of the 12 sets falling into that narrow margin.
Starts With Passing: The first pass, which sets up the offense, is crucial, and the Rise have posted a 54.3% positive pass rating and a 22.3% perfect pass rating during their current three-match losing streak. In comparison, they recorded 51.0% positive and 27.3% perfect pass ratings during their three-match winning streak from March 2-9, and 43.3% positive and 20.8% perfect pass ratings during their four-match winning streak from Jan. 19 to Feb. 2. These passing numbers have consistently improved throughout the season, reflecting both the growing team chemistry and overall progress. A key factor in this improvement has been the inclusion of outside hitter Paige Briggs-Romine into the starting rotation. Since joining the lineup on Feb. 20, Briggs-Romine has posted standout passing numbers, averaging 63.3% positive and 26% perfect passes.
Kills When Called Upon: Rise rookie middle blocker Raven Colvin was perfect on her attack attempts, going 4-for-4 on March 20 and 2-for-2 in her previous appearance on March 13 against the Atlanta Vibe. That gives her kills on her last six attack attempts when coming off the bench. Colvin has appeared in 19 sets this season, recording 30 kills with a .339 hitting percentage and nine blocks.
Rotating Setters: Rise setters August Raskie and Camryn Turner have both played in the last six matches, with head coach Cathy George unafraid to mix things up and give opponents a different look. Raskie has started every match this season, tallying 623 assists and 205 digs, along with a team-high 11 double-doubles. Turner has appeared in 12 matches (31 sets), recording 139 assists, 13 kills on 28 attack attempts, and a .357 hitting percentage.
Serving Setbacks: The Rise have committed more serving errors than their opponents in each of the last nine matches. The team averages 11.2 service errors per match, slightly higher than last year’s 10.2 average. On a positive note, the Rise have recorded three more aces at this point in the season than they did at the same time last year (63-60).
Snyder Breaks Rise Ace Record: With two aces against the Indy Ignite on March 15, Carli Snyder set a franchise record for most aces in a single season, reaching 18. She surpassed teammate Marin Grote, who had 17 aces in the 2024 inaugural season. Grote still holds the Rise career record with 21 aces, while Snyder is now three behind. Snyder currently ranks third in the league with 19 aces, trailing Orlando's Natalie Foster (43) and Atlanta's Leah Edmond (36).
The Great Wall: Through 18 matches, the Rise lead the league in total blocks (220) and blocks per set (3.14), thanks in part to standout blocker Ali Bastianelli, who ranks second with 50 blocks. For comparison, the Rise had 243 blocks in 26 matches played last season. On March 2, Grand Rapids set a PVF record for blocks in a three-set match with 18 in a win over Vegas, also tying the team’s record for most blocks in any match. They matched the milestone on March 9 with another 18-block performance in a four-set road win against San Diego. Alyssa Jensen became the only Rise player to record five or more blocks in three consecutive matches from March 2-9. Snyder had a season-high four blocks in the loss to Vegas on March 20.
No Opening Set Jitters: Grand Rapids has shined in opening sets lately, winning nine out of its last 12. This season, the Rise are 11-7 in first sets with a +13 point differential. Strong starts have been a trend for Grand Rapids — over the past season and a half, they’ve gone 30-14 in first sets, outscoring opponents 1,041-972 for a +69 point advantage.
Rise-Fury Connections: Familiar faces meet again:
- Rise libero Valeria León (currently on the team’s practice squad) faces her former team after playing for the Fury in PVF's inaugural season.
- Western Kentucky graduate Kaylee Cox played a season with Rise outside hitter Briggs-Romine in 2023 and was coached by Rise libero Jena Otec for two seasons (2023-24) with the Hilltoppers.
- Rise middle blocker Bastianelli and setter Raskie played with Fury opposite hitter Morgan Lewis with the San Diego Mojo last season.
Rise-Supernovas Connections: Paths cross again when Grand Rapids faces Omaha:
- Former Rise players Kayla Caffey, Mac Podraza, and Camila Gómez square off against their old team, while Rise outside hitter Briggs-Romine also competes against her former squad.
- PVF’s 2024 Rising Star Award (Rookie of the Year) winner Reagan Cooper faces her former college setter Turner from Kansas, and former Columbus Fury teammate León. Omaha rookie Toyosi Onabanjo (1st round, 8th overall), also played at Kansas with Turner for two seasons (2023-24).
- Rise outside hitter Pritchard and Omaha middle blocker Kaitlyn Hord played a season together in college at Penn State (2021). Hord also played last season with León and the Fury.
Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Rise