This Week’s Matches
RISE (9-12) at Orlando Valkyries (12-9) // Thu., April 10 // 7 p.m. // Addition Financial Arena
Watch: The Roku Channel at 7 p.m.
Season Series: 1-1 Overall, 0-1 Away. Third of four meetings overall, second of two at Addition Financial Arena
All-Time Regular Season Series: 3-3 Overall, 1-2 Away
Noteworthy: Both teams have secured home victories in their matchups this season. Grand Rapids won the first contest on Jan. 30 in a thrilling five-set battle by set scores of 24-26, 25-15, 17-25, 25-18, 15-12. Orlando responded with a 3-0 sweep on Feb. 15, winning 25-18, 25-23, 26-24. The Valkyries are 3-0 in sets decided by the minimum of two points. While the all-time series is tied at 3-3, the set count is also even at 12-12. The Rise hold a slight edge in total points scored, leading 536-520.
RISE (9-12) at Indy Ignite (12-9) // Sat., April 12 // 7 p.m. // Fishers Event Center
Watch: YouTube at 7 p.m.
Season Series: 0-2 Overall, 0-1 Away. Third of four meetings overall, second of two at Fishers Event Center
All-Time Regular Season Series: 0-2 Overall, 0-1 Away
Noteworthy: The Rise are looking for their first win against the Indy Ignite. On Jan. 16, the Rise fell 3-0 on the road by set scores of 25-18, 28-26, 25-16. Then, on March 15, they were defeated 3-1 at home by set scores of 22-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-22. Indy has been strong at home this season, boasting a 7-2 record inside the Fishers Event Center. The Ignite had won four straight matches before losing 3-1 to the Columbus Fury in their last outing on Saturday, April 5.
Late Surge Required: The Rise enter Thursday’s contest against the Orlando Valkyries three matches back of a playoff spot, with just seven matches remaining. Although the Rise don’t control their own destiny, they still have a significant influence on the playoff race, as all their remaining matches will be against teams currently in the four postseason spots: Omaha Supernovas (twice, 15-5), Atlanta Vibe (once, 14-8), Indy Ignite (twice, 12-9), and Orlando Valkyries (twice, 12-9). The Rise have a combined record of 2-7 against those teams this season, with a five-set win at home against Orlando (Jan. 30) and a road sweep at Atlanta (Jan. 19). By defeating the Valkyries or Ignite twice, the Rise can close the gap to within a match of a playoff spot.
Largest Win in Franchise History: The Rise are coming off a 3-0 sweep of the Vegas Thrill on April 5 at Van Andel Arena. Grand Rapids won by set scores of 25-17, 25-16, 25-17, holding Vegas to 50 combined points — the fewest points ever scored by an opponent in a match against the Rise.
POW for PBR: Rise outside hitter Paige Briggs-Romine was named the Week 13 Pro Volleyball Federation Player of the Week after posting a match-high 15 points (13 kills, one block, and an ace) in the 3-0 win over the Thrill on April 5.
Briggs-Romine has been a key addition to the starting rotation since earning her spot on Feb. 20. She currently ranks second on the team in both points (186) and kills (158), and has recorded at least one block in every match she has started. In addition to her offensive contributions, Briggs-Romine provides defensive stability with her consistent passing. This is a significant leap from her rookie season last year with the Supernovas, where she recorded 101 points and 86 kills.
Oglivie Eyes Rise Dig Record: Rise rookie libero Elena Oglivie is just 13 digs shy of breaking the franchise single-season dig record set by Emiliya Dimitrova. Oglivie, with 262 digs so far this year, earned the starting libero spot four matches into the season. Dimitrova set the record with 275 digs during her final pro season with the Rise last year.
Two New Faces: Over the last two weeks, the Rise added two players to their roster. On March 27, they acquired rookie 6-foot-2 opposite hitter Devyn Robinson, who was waived by the San Diego Mojo. A first-round pick (5th overall) in the 2024 PVF Draft, Robinson was a three-time AVCA All-American at Wisconsin. Robinson played two sets in her Rise debut at the Omaha Supernovas on March 30.
On March 31, the Rise signed outside hitter/opposite hitter Eleanor Holthaus. A native of Richmond, Minnesota, Holthaus had a standout career at Iowa State and has played professionally in Puerto Rico and Germany — most recently with SC Potsdam. She was a four-time All-Big 12 First Team selection and finished her collegiate career with 1,516 kills, ranking fifth all-time at Iowa State. Holthaus started and played all three sets in her Rise debut on April 5 against the Vegas Thrill. She had nine kills (.250), seven digs, and two blocks.
Sneaky Turner: Rookie setter Camryn Turner has started the last three matches for the Rise, totaling 134 assists, 42 digs, and 17 kills on 29 attempts (.552). Her dump kill consistently caught opponents off guard. She has 30 kills on 57 attack attempts this year, for a team-high .456 hitting percentage.
Fourth Set Blues: Grand Rapids has dropped the fourth set in five straight matches, with four losses decided by a 25-22 score and the other by 27-25. The Rise started the season 3-1 in the fourth set but have since gone 1-8. Despite this, they’ve only been outscored 299-296 in the frame for the season.
The Great Wall: Through 21 matches, the Rise lead the League in total blocks (252) and blocks per set (3.07), thanks in part to standout blocker Ali Bastianelli, who ranks second in the League with 59 blocks. Alyssa Jensen also has 41 blocks this season after just having 19 last year. For comparison, the Rise had 243 blocks in 26 matches played in 2024. 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 San Diego.
Bastianelli has recorded at least one block in 19 straight matches, with three or more blocks in 10 matches. She needs 10 more blocks to match Marin Grote's record mark of 69 from last year.
Rise-Valkyries Connections: A handful of reunions:
- Sisters Marin Grote (Rise, middle blocker) and Lydia Grote (Valkyries, opposite hitter) meet in the professional ranks for a third time.
- Former Rise outside hitter Shannon Scully plays her former team from a season ago.
- Rise setter August 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-Ignite Connections: New franchise Indy Ignite meets familiar faces on the Rise:
- Former Omaha teammates Briggs-Romine (Rise) and setter Sydney Hilley (Ignite) face off against each other for a third 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).
- Ignite outside hitter Carly Skjodt played for the University of Michigan from 2015-18.
Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Rise