GRAND RAPIDS RISE 1 at Orlando Valkyries 3
April 10, 2025
ORLANDO — A standout second set for the Grand Rapids Rise couldn’t turn the tide Thursday night in Orlando, as the Valkyries came away with a four-set home win (25-18, 18-25, 25-18, 25-15) inside Addition Financial Arena.
The Rise responded well after dropping the opening frame, taking control in the second with clean execution and renewed energy. But Orlando regained its footing, hitting .257 on the night to secure the match and inch one step closer to a Pro Volleyball Federation playoff berth.
The Valkyries jumped out to an early 8-5 lead in the opening set, fueled by back-to-back aces from middle blocker Kaz Brown. The Rise struggled to contain Brown throughout the match, as she led all players with 20 points — finishing with 12 kills on 20 swings (.600), the previously mentioned two aces, and had a hand in half of Orlando’s 12 blocks.
And when it wasn’t Brown doing damage, it was Brittany Abercrombie. The outside hitter tallied six kills and eight digs to help Orlando claim the first set, 25-18. She finished with a match-high 17 kills (.245).
Grand Rapids flipped the script in the second set, matching the Valkyries' opening score with a 25-18 win of their own. The Rise hit an impressive .378 in the frame and recorded five blocks — two each from Ali Bastianelli and Alyssa Jensen, and another from Carli Snyder — to shift the momentum. After being held without a kill in the first set, Snyder bounced back with five kills on .417 hitting to spark the turnaround.
Reigning PVF Player of the Week Paige Briggs-Romine capped the second set with a set-winning kill. She went on to lead Grand Rapids with 13 kills (.250) and added 12 digs, recording her fifth straight double-double and eighth of the season.
Orlando tightened up defensively in the final two sets, recording nine blocks and limiting the Rise to just a .182 hitting percentage in a 25-18 third-set win. The Valkyries then held Grand Rapids to -.053 in the fourth, closing out the match with a 25-15 victory.
PVF ace leader Natalie Foster increased her season total to 49, with two of her three aces coming in the third set. The Rise’s lone ace was registered by Eleanor Holthaus, who made her second start since joining the team on March 31. She finished with 11 kills (.122) and four digs.
Notes
- Recent Rise addition Devyn Robinson picked up her first professional kill in the opening set. The former first-round pick (fifth overall) from the San Diego Mojo finished the match with two kills and a dig.
- Former Rise player Shannon Scully played libero for the Valkyries and had two digs.
- Both Rise setters Camryn Turner (32 assists, 13 digs, three kills, one block) and August Raskie (11 assists and four digs) saw action during the contest.
- Rise rookie libero Elena Oglivie and Snyder both had a team-high 15 digs. Oglivie, with 277 digs this season, surpassed Emiliya Dimitrova (275) for the most digs in a single Rise season and the most digs in team history.
GR 18 25 18 15 — 1
ORL 25 18 25 25 — 3
Team Leaders
GR: Kills — Paige Briggs-Romine 13, Eleanor Holthaus 11, Carli Snyder 10; Assists — Camryn Turner 32, August Raskie 11; Aces — Holthaus 1; Blocks — Ali Bastianelli 3, Alyssa Jensen 3; Digs — Elena Oglivie 15, Snyder 15, Turner 13, Briggs-Romine 12.
ORL: Kills — Brittany Abercrombie 17, Kaz Brown 12, Lindsey Vander Weide 11; Assists — Pornpun Guedpard 50, Nalani Iosia 3, Melani Shaffmaster 2; Aces — Natalie Foster 3, Brown 2; Blocks — Brown 6, Courtney Schwan 2; Digs — Schwan 15, Vander Weide 14, Abercrombie 11, Guedpard 11.
A — 1,546
Record / Next Match
Grand Rapids: 9-13 / Sat., April 12 at Indy Ignite, 7 p.m.
Orlando: 13-9 / Sat., April 12 vs. Atlanta Vibe, 7 p.m.
Photo by Heidi Kearney/Orlando Valkyries