GRAND RAPIDS RISE 2 vs. Orlando Valkyries 3
April 30, 2025
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Bragging rights in the sibling rivalry swung Lydia Grote’s way Wednesday night, as she led the Orlando Valkyries with a team-high 17 kills (.244) in a come-from-behind reverse sweep over her older sister, Marin Grote, and the Grand Rapids Rise.
After dropping the first two sets, the Valkyries stormed back to win the next three, stunning the home crowd at Van Andel Arena with a comeback victory by set scores of 19-25, 17-25, 25-23, 25-21, 16-14. It was the second time this season the Rise had been reverse swept after taking a 2-0 lead — and their first such defeat at home — despite leading in nearly every statistical category: kills (65-61), blocks (14-11), assists (61-60), and hitting percentage (.202 to .167).
Grand Rapids outscored Orlando 108-102, with the plus-6 point margin marking the largest in a loss in franchise history.
The Rise came out strong, claiming the opening set 25-19 behind 17 kills and a .286 hitting percentage. Grand Rapids had dropped the first set in four of its previous five contests. Outside hitter Carli Snyder led the Rise attack with five kills (.444), while Ali Bastianelli and Paige Briggs-Romine each had four.
Briggs-Romine led the Rise with a season-high 18 kills and 19 digs, earning her 10th double-double of the season. Snyder wasn't far behind, finishing with 17 kills, 15 digs, two blocks, and an ace on her birthday. Briggs-Romine also added an ace, her 14th of the season, tying her for the third-most aces by a Rise player in a single season.
After just one block from Bastianelli in the first frame, the Grand Rapids’ net-front presence came to life in the second set with six team blocks. Bastianelli and Alyssa Jensen each provided two. The second rejection from Jensen ended a lengthy rally to put the Rise up 18-13. Defensive/serving substitute Jena Otec assisted a kill hammered down by Eleanor Holthaus at 23-16. Grand Rapids closed out the second set with a kill from Bastianelli and an Orlando miscue, 25-17.
It marked just the third time this season that Orlando had been down 2-0 in a match. The other two occasions came on March 1 and April 12 against the Atlanta Vibe.
The Valkyries, however, refused to be swept, pulling out a 25-23 win in the third set to keep the match alive. Even amid a series of momentum-shifting plays by the Rise — highlighted by a diving dig from August Raskie that set up a Snyder kill to knot the score at 21-21 — Orlando's resilience ultimately won out.
The Rise lost rookie libero Elena Oglivie to an injury in the third set after she crashed into the head referee’s stand chasing down a loose ball. Otec switched jerseys and played libero for the rest of the match. It was her first extended stint at libero since she started the Rise’s third match of the season on Jan. 16 against the Indy Ignite.
In the fourth set, Marin Grote had the opportunity to play against her younger sister Lydia, contributing a kill, a block, and a dig during her limited playing time. Her block came at a crucial time to get the Rise back within two points, down 22-20. But Orlando scored three out of the next four points to force a fifth and final frame.
The Valkyries jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the fifth set before the Rise found their rhythm. A block and kill from Snyder tied the score at 6-6, and then Grand Rapids quickly recovered from an 11-8 deficit, scoring four straight points — highlighted by a kill from Briggs-Romine and a pair of blocks from Jensen and Holthaus.
With Orlando committing an attack error, the Rise earned match point at 14-13 but Norah Sis kept the Valkyries alive with her 17th kill. The match concluded with Lindsey Vander Weide, who didn’t play in the first two sets, delivering back-to-back kills to seal a 16-14 set victory for Orlando.
Notes
- Grand Rapids is now 4-5 in five-set matches this season (8-9 all time).
- Orlando played 13 of its 14 active roster members, with Kaz Brown the only player not seeing action. The Rise, on the other hand, used 11 players.
- Bastianelli led the Rise with four blocks, bringing her PVF-leading season total to 88.
- Former Rise player Shannon Scully was one of six Orlando players to reach double-digit digs. The Valkyries racked up 111 digs as a team, the most ever for an opponent against the Rise. Setter Melani Shaffmaster had a team-high 20 digs, followed by Sis (17), Grote (14), Emmy Klika (14), Scully (11), and Vander Weide (10).
- The Rise recorded an even 100 digs, led by rookie setter Camryn Turner with a season-high 23. Turner also tallied 56 assists, the second-most in Rise history. She set the Rise record in the team’s previous match in Atlanta on April 26 with 58 assists.
GR 25 25 23 21 14 — 2
ORL 19 17 25 25 16 — 3
Team Leaders
GR: Kills — Paige Briggs-Romine 18, Carli Snyder 17, Ali Bastianelli 11; Assists — Camryn Turner 56, Jena Otec 3; Aces — Snyder 1, Briggs-Romine 1, Turner 1; Blocks — Bastianelli 4, Alyssa Jensen 3, Eleanor Holthaus 3; Digs — Turner 23, Briggs-Romine 19, Snyder 15.
ORL: Kills — Lydia Grote 17, Norah Sis 17, Abby Hansen 8, Lindsey Vander Weide 8; Assists — Melani Shaffmaster 44, Pornpun Guedpard 11; Aces — Hansen 1, Shaffmaster 1, Sis 1; Blocks — Hansen 4, M’Kaela White 3, Shaffmaster 2; Digs — Shaffmaster 20, Sis 17, Grote 14, Emmy Klika 14.
A — 3,883
Record / Next Match
Grand Rapids: 11-16 / Fri., May 2 vs. Omaha Supernovas, 7 p.m.
Orlando: 17-10 / Fri., May 2 at Vegas Thrill, 10 p.m.
Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Rise