COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Columbus Fury kicked off training camp with energy and determination this week, preparing for the third season of Major League Volleyball. The start of training camp signals the start of a new season filled with new and familiar faces and high expectations.
As training camp has just begun, players are coming off their offseason endeavors and transitioning back into the rhythm of practicing as a team. With new faces joining the team for the first time and familiar ones taking on bigger roles, the focus continues to be on building good habits and chemistry for the long season ahead.
Setter Ashley Evans joined the Fury this season and said, “The first couple of practices have been great,” and is ready to grow as a team.
“We have been thrown right into the mix and haven't had much of a ramp-up. I think sometimes it's a good thing that you just get thrown in to see where you're at and go from there,” Evans said. “It's been great to connect immediately with the girls and see where everybody's at from a preseason standpoint, and we have a great training staff from a lifting standpoint, with Anthony Schlegel and The Armory.”
Middle blocker Abby Walker has enjoyed practice so far and highlighted learning from the veterans around her.
“Practice has been great so far. It's been really awesome to see the different experiences, and we've got a lot of veteran players on the court with us this year,” Walker said. “So just picking from what they've learned and putting in each of our games, just working on how we're going to go together, it's been really cool.’’
This season, the Fury began training at the new Bob Crane Community Center in Upper Arlington, which opened earlier this year. The 34,000-square-foot facility – featuring modern amenities, upgraded playing surfaces, and a welcoming atmosphere – has quickly become a cornerstone of the team’s growth.
Head coach Ángel Pérez is grateful for the opportunity to be in the new facility and has already noticed positive differences.
“We're lucky to be here in this beautiful facility,” Pérez said. “We've been blessed to be around different great facilities throughout the years. This year, when we saw the opportunity of coming here, I thought it was a good opportunity for us to be in this community. And of course, the building is brand new and state-of-the-art. The floor is really good for our players. I think we finally found a home here, and we feel comfortable here, and hopefully this can go a long way as we’re looking ahead into the season.”
Evans said she has been impressed with the gym, especially since she had only seen pictures before arriving at training camp.
“It's beautiful. I've never been here. I've only seen Bob Crane in photos,” Evans said. “But the biggest thing, as a bit of an older player, is having a really good floor and really nice wood to play on and jump on 100 times a day.”
With only a few days of practice completed, the team is still finding ways to get to know and work with each other to grow on and off the court. Evans said she noticed the team’s size, physicality, and experience before she arrived, and that impression was confirmed once practices began.
“We are a very experienced and big team from a physicality standpoint. I think that's one thing I noticed right off the bat, even before we saw each other. I can tell from the names and seeing video of players of how they operate on the court, and I think that'll be one of our biggest advantages as a team, just our physical presence,” Evans said. “I can tell that even just jumping right into six-on-six these last two days of how physical we are, and I think that is something that will be a huge proponent and something that we really tap into for this season.”
Walker agreed that the roster has already begun forming strong bonds.
“I think it's great. I think we're still getting to know each other, obviously, but so far so good. I like everyone in the team,” Walker said. “I think that we've all started good foundations of a good relationship, and we've all got one common goal, that we want a championship gym, and we want to win, so really think that it's going to be a good group this year.”
The Fury returns three players from last season: Raina Terry, Abby Walker, and Megan Lush, who has been with the franchise since year one. Pérez said their leadership has been foundational.
“We love our Ohio girls. Megan has been the face of our franchise ever since the first day. One of my main goals was to try to get a player that represents what she represents in the volleyball community to build around, and I think she's been the cornerstone of what we're trying to build,” Pérez said. “She's been an example for all our young players that are coming along, hence Abby and Raina, who came here last season, just kind of fell into their leadership and are embracing the opportunity of being the new leaders of this group. We're excited to have the three of them back again.”
He added that he expects strong seasons from the returning trio, especially with Terry coming back from injury towards the end of last season and Walker entering the year with momentum after finishing top-10 in hitting percentage last season.
Walker, being one of the returners, said having familiar faces back has made the start of training camp even better.
“I'm really excited to have Reina and Megan back. I think it's good to have familiar faces on the team. We've already played together,” Walker said. “We've got that good connection on the court. So I'm just super excited.”
As the team gets settled, the Fury are beginning to shape their identity and set the tone for the season. Walker said that resilience and playing with confidence will be key to who they are.
“I think that just playing with confidence. I think that we've got a great group, very resilient,” Walker said. “I think that we just vote in that culture, so just leaning into all the values that we have that we're going to be setting up the next few weeks. It might be early to tell what exactly we want our team to look like, but I think that we've got a great start.”
Evans echoed that sentiment.
“I think we'll still need some time to figure that out. We've only been together two days, so I can't just pinpoint one thing at the moment, but I think with just looking at the names we have and from the first two days of practice, we have a lot of experience,” Evans said. “Obviously, we have some rookies in their first or second year, but we can lean into that experience from the older players, and I think that's something that will carry us through this entire season, from start to finish.”
Pérez said he hopes the Fury embodies the spirit of the city they represent and play hard for every single point.
“We want to build a team that the city feels proud of – a team that fights every point, a team that it's greedy, that wants to go after every ball, wants to fight every point,” Pérez said. “I think that's kind of what the city represents. And I think we want to identify with that and build from it. I think players are committed to working hard. I think the team is going to play hard every single point, and hopefully we can get some victories that will attract more people to our gym.”
The Fury open the season on the road on Thursday, January 8 at the Atlanta Vibe before returning to Nationwide Arena for the home opener on Saturday, January 10 against the Omaha Supernovas at 7 p.m.
Single match tickets are on sale now as well as season tickets and partial ticket packages. Click here or email columbusfury@columbusfury.com for details. Fans can also call the ticket office at 614-380-FURY (3879).
About Major League Volleyball
Major League Volleyball, entering its third season, is the longest-running formal professional volleyball league for women in the United States. Designed to elevate the sport through world class competition, commercial innovation, and cultural relevance, MLV brings together elite athletes, visionary leadership and global ambition. With alignment to USA Volleyball and a commitment to Olympic development, MLV serves as the premier pathway from professional play to the world stage. For more information, visit ProVolleyball.com.