GRAND RAPIDS RISE 3 vs. Indy Ignite 1
April 19, 2025
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — In a must-win situation to keep their playoff hopes alive, the Grand Rapids Rise rose to the occasion Saturday afternoon with a 3-1 victory inside Van Andel Arena over the Indy Ignite by set scores of 25-27, 25-21, 25-18, 25-22.
The Great Wall of Grand Rapids was in full force, posting 21 blocks, the second-most in team history, as middle blocker Ali Bastianelli matched her own Rise record with nine rejections. Just a week earlier in Indy, the Rise tied the PVF mark with 24 blocks in a 3-2 road win.
On the offensive side, the Rise saw three players notch double-digit kills: Eleanor Holthaus (18, .341), Bastianelli (12, .323), and Carli Snyder (10, .190). As a team, Grand Rapids hit .217, outpacing Indy’s .141. Caitlin Baird and Azhani Tealer powered Indy’s offense with 13 and 12 kills, respectively.
The Ignite opened the match strong, racing to early leads of 11-6 and 14-7 in the first set before Grand Rapids mounted a comeback. Coming out of a timeout, the Rise unleashed an 11-2 run to take an 18-16 lead. Alyssa Jensen, Paige Briggs-Romine, Camryn Turner, Bastianelli, and Holthaus all contributed points for the Rise during the surge.
Indy refused to back down, rallying from a 22-19 deficit to even the opening frame at 24-24. Anna DeBeer delivered a pair of clutch kills to help the Ignite fend off two set points, and Baird erased a third with a kill of her own. Baird followed up with another kill, and a block from DeBeer sealed the set for Indy, 27-25.
Snyder’s 30th ace of the season gave Grand Rapids a 10-8 lead in the second set. That was shortly followed by a 7-1 Rise run that pushed the lead to 18-11. Bastianelli sealed the set with a block on set point, 25-21, to level the match at one set apiece.
The third set was last tied at 10-10 before the Rise took control. Bastianelli recorded six of her nine blocks in the frame, anchoring a Grand Rapids defense that posted seven blocks and 19 digs in the set while holding Indy to a .093 hitting percentage. Snyder led the Rise offense with five kills on 11 swings (.455) and capped the stanza with a powerful kill on set point, 25-18.
Grand Rapids led for most of the fourth set, but Indy rallied with a 4-0 run to tie it at 21-21. Two kills from Holthaus and an Indy error set up match point for the Rise. Carly Skjodt, the former University of Michigan standout, delayed the celebration with a kill for the Ignite, but Jensen fittingly sealed the match with her fourth block.
Jensen has recorded three or more blocks in each of her last five matches, bringing her season total to 56. She was just one kill short of matching her Rise career-best, finishing with seven kills on 14 swings (.357).
Notes
- Bastianelli leads the League with 81 blocks this season, currently holding a new PVF single-season record. Over her career, she has accumulated the most PVF blocks across two seasons, with a total of 143.
- Rise rookie libero Elena Oglivie finished with a team-high 24 digs and a 56% positive pass rating. Briggs-Romine chipped in with 21 digs and a 69% positive pass rating.
- Holthaus set a personal season-high with 18 kills in her fifth match with the Rise.
- Turner recorded a double-double with 48 assists and 11 digs, along with a season-high three blocks for the 5-foot-8 setter.
- This was a must-win match for the Rise to keep their playoff hopes alive, as they wouldn’t have been able to catch Indy for the final postseason spot due to tiebreakers. With the win, Grand Rapids is now 1.5 matches behind with three matches remaining.
GR 25 25 25 25 — 3
IND 27 21 18 22 — 1
Team Leaders
GR: Kills — Eleanor Holthaus 18, Ali Bastianelli 12, Carli Snyder 10; Assists — Camryn Turner 48, Elena Oglivie 4; Aces — Snyder 1; Blocks — Bastianelli 9, Alyssa Jensen 4, Turner 3; Digs — Oglivie 24, Paige Briggs-Romine 21, Holthaus 13.
IND: Kills — Caitlin Baird 13, Azhani Tealer 12, Carly Skjodt 9, Lydia Martyn 9; Assists — Sydney Hilley 39, Ainise Havili 7, Elena Scott 3; Aces — Baird 1; Blocks — Baird 3, Tealer 2, Martyn 2; Digs — Scott 26, Baird 12, Tealer 12.
A — 3,872
Record / Next Match
Grand Rapids: 11-14 / Sat., April 26 at Atlanta Vibe, 8 p.m.
Indy: 12-12 / Fri., April 25 vs. Orlando Valkyries, 7 p.m.
Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Rise