This Week’s Matches
RISE (11-15) vs. Orlando Valkyries (16-10) // Wed., April 30 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena
Radio: 96.1 The Game at 6:45 p.m.
Watch: The Roku Channel at 7 p.m.
Season Series: 1-2 Overall, 1-0 Home. Fourth of four meetings overall, second of two at Van Andel Arena
All-Time Regular Season Series: 3-4 Overall, 2-1 Home
Noteworthy: After the Rise won the first contest in the season series with a five-set home win on Jan. 30, the Valkyries bounced back with a pair of victories in Orlando on Feb. 15 (3-0) and April 10 (3-1). This season, the Valkyries have outscored the Rise, 265-247, in total points. All time, Orlando has only scored one more point than Grand Rapids, 613-612, and has won two more sets, 15-13.
RISE vs. Omaha Supernovas (19-7) // Fri., May 2 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena
Radio: 96.1 The Game at 6:45 p.m.
Watch: FS2 at 7 p.m.
Season Series: 0-3 Overall, 0-1 Home. Fourth of four meetings overall, second of two at Van Andel Arena
All-Time Regular Season Series: 1-6 Overall, 1-2 Home
Noteworthy: Omaha has won all three matchups against Grand Rapids this season, taking nine of a possible 10 sets. Five of those sets were decided by three points or fewer. The Rise have defeated Omaha just once in team history, winning on May 12, 2024 to close out the 2024 regular season.
Playing for Pride: The Rise were eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday when the Indy Ignite defeated the San Diego Mojo in four sets to clinch the fourth and final postseason spot. Grand Rapids had been pushed to the brink the night before, falling in a heartbreaking five-set thriller against the red-hot Atlanta Vibe. The Rise rallied from a 2-0 deficit to force a decisive fifth set but ultimately fell 15-13 in the final frame. Despite the loss, Grand Rapids set a franchise record with 103 digs in the gritty affair.
Meanwhile, Orlando is chasing Atlanta for the No. 2 seed but will need to win its final two matches and have the Vibe lose their last two to make it happen. The Rise currently sit fifth in the standings but could slip to sixth or seventh depending on how the final results unfold. One win would secure fifth place for Grand Rapids.
Ups and Downs: Grand Rapids has alternated between wins and losses over its last eight matches. Earlier in the season, the Rise swung between winning and losing streaks, starting 0-3 before rattling off four straight wins, then dropping five in a row, winning three straight, and losing three more.
Monster Blockers: Through 26 matches, the Rise lead the League in both total blocks (323) and blocks per set (3.14), thanks in large part to standout middle blocker Ali Bastianelli. She currently leads the League with 84 blocks this season. Alyssa Jensen has also made a huge leap at the net, tallying 58 blocks after recording just 19 last season. Grand Rapids tied the PVF record for most blocks in a match with 24 during 3-2 road win April 12 over the Ignite. The next week, the Rise blocked Indy 21 times in a four-set home win on April 19. Grand Rapids is limiting its opponents to a .199 hitting percentage for the season, the lowest in the League.
Blocks by Bastianelli: Bastianelli has been a dominant presence all season, recording at least one block in 24 straight matches and posting three or more blocks in 14 of them. She tied her own franchise record with nine blocks in a home win over Indy on April 19 and has tallied 84 blocks overall this season, setting a PVF single-season record. Bastianelli also delivered her best offensive performance of the year on Saturday in Atlanta, racking up a season-high 20 kills on 37 swings (.432).
Dig Machines: Defensively, the Rise are doing more than just dominating at the net. Over their last six matches, they've averaged 18.9 digs per set — a significant jump from the 15.8 digs per set they posted over their first 20 matches. In their last three wins, opponents have been held to hitting percentages of .141, .147, and .057. Rookie libero Elena Oglivie leads the defensive charge with a team-record 369 digs this season, including 13 matches with 15 or more. She broke her own franchise record with 30 digs in Saturday’s five-set loss to Atlanta. Carli Snyder (287), August Raskie (219), and Paige Briggs-Romine (211) have also crossed the 200-dig mark this season.
The Century Club: The Rise surpassed 100 sets played this season (currently at 103) during Saturday’s match in Atlanta. Snyder, who has appeared in all but one set this year, became the third player in team history to play over 100 sets in a single season, joining Marin Grote (106) and Claire Chaussee (104) from last year. Oglivie (97) and Bastianelli (94) are also within reach of the milestone before the regular season ends. Grote has the most sets played in franchise history with 153.
Setting the Mark: Rookie setter Camryn Turner broke her own franchise record with 58 assists in Saturday’s 3-2 loss to Atlanta, while also posting a season-high 21 digs. A product of the University of Kansas, Turner has started the last eight matches for the Rise and is just 34 assists away from reaching 500 for the season.
Seeing Double-Doubles: Rise players have combined for 39 double-doubles across 26 matches this season. Raskie leads the way with 11, followed by Snyder (10), Briggs-Romine (9), and Turner (6). In team history, Chaussee holds the record with 16 double-doubles, just ahead of Emiliya Dimitrova’s 15.
Close Sets Beware: The Rise have struggled in tight sets this season, posting a 9-19 record in sets decided by the minimum of two points. Despite losing seven more sets than they've won (55-48), Grand Rapids has narrowly outscored its opponents 2,289-2,278. The Rise's strongest set has been the second, where they hold a 13-13 record with a +26 point differential. The fourth set has been their toughest, going 7-10 with a -1 differential. In five-set matches, Grand Rapids is 4-4, having been outscored by a single point, 109-108.
Rise-Valkyries Connections: A handful of reunions:
- Sisters Marin Grote (Rise, middle blocker) and Lydia Grote (Valkyries, opposite hitter) meet in the professional ranks.
- Former Rise outside hitter Shannon Scully plays her team from a season ago.
- Rise setter Raskie goes up against former Oregon teammate Lindsey Vander Weide. They played together for four seasons with the Ducks (2015-18).
- Rise opposite hitter Kaleigh Nelson and Orlando outside hitter Courtney Schwan played one season together (2014) at the University of Washington.
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 Valeria León. Omaha rookie Toyosi Onabanjo (1st round, 8th overall), also played at Kansas with Turner for two seasons (2023-24).
- Rise outside hitter Erika 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