GRAND RAPIDS RISE 1 at Indy Ignite 3
March 8, 2026
FISHERS, Ind. — On short rest after Saturday night’s four-set win over the Omaha Supernovas, the Grand Rapids Rise battled Sunday evening in an attempt to knock off the league-leading Indy Ignite. Grand Rapids claimed the opening set, but Indy answered by taking the next three for a 23-25, 25-18, 25-22, 25-20 victory inside Fishers Event Center.
The win was Indy’s seventh straight, improving the Ignite to 13-2 on the season. Grand Rapids had its two-match winning streak snapped and dropped to 5-10 overall, 2-6 on the road.
Rise rookie outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles made her first professional start at opposite hitter and opened the match with a kill for the contest’s first point. She finished with a season-high seven kills, two aces, and two blocks while adding a team-high 12 digs. Rise libero Morgan Hentz also had 12 digs and five assists.
Indy, however, scored seven straight points after Alonso-Corcelles’ opening kill to take a commanding 7-1 lead early. Grand Rapids chipped away, eventually pulling even at 21-21 on Paige Briggs-Romine’s first kill of the match. Tied at 23-23, Rise middle blocker Leah Meyer recorded her fifth kill on just her sixth swing before Alonso-Corcelles delivered a timely set-winning ace — the first of her professional career — to seal the 25-23 first-set win.
Meyer had two more attack attempts in the second set before suffering an injury early in the third set that sidelined her for the remainder of the match. She totaled five kills on a .625 hitting percentage and two blocks.
The Ignite scored the first three points of the second set before Grand Rapids clawed back once again to even the score at 7-7. Leading 16-15 at the media timeout, Indy used a 9-3 run to level the match at one set apiece. Both Leketor Member-Meneh and Kayla Lund had seven kills in the frame for the Ignite.
Indy tallied 19 kills in the second set while the Rise were held to only eight — five of which were put down by Briggs-Romine. The other 10 points scored by Grand Rapids in the set came via five Indy attack errors, three opposing service errors, and two blocks.
Serving errors plagued the third set, which began with four miscues before things got worse for the Rise with Meyer’s injury. Rise head coach Cathy George first turned to Berkeley Oblad, making just her second appearance of the season, before giving rookie Hattie Bray extended time as a front-row middle blocker rather than as a serving substitute.
Despite the unfavorable circumstances, Grand Rapids had the third set tied at 16-16 before Indy used a 5-0 run to pull away. The Rise got back within two at 24-22, but a net touch ended the set, 25-22.
Both teams traded momentum early in the fourth set, with the Rise jumping out to 3-1 and 7-4 leads before Indy responded to take a 15-11 advantage. Grand Rapids tied it again at 17-17 after a lengthy rally, capped by a handful of diving digs and a kill from Carli Snyder.
Nonetheless, the Ignite scored seven of the final nine points for a 25-18 win to seal the match.
Indy had four players reach double figures in points: Member-Meneh (16), Lund (13), Alexandra Botezat (12) and Camryn Hannah (11). The Ignite hit .269 compared to Grand Rapids at .177, recorded nine more digs (61-52) and 12 more kills (60-48), while the Rise had one more block (8-7).
Notes
· Briggs-Romine was the only Rise player in double figures in kills, recording a match-high 15 (.229). It marked her 15th straight match with double-digit kills, but her seven digs ended her active streak of seven consecutive double-doubles.
· Rise setter Camryn Turner had the lone Grand Rapids’ double-double with 36 assists and 11 digs. She also had two kills and a block. Indy setter Mia Tuaniga tossed up 50 assists, had 12 digs, three kills, and an ace.
· With two blocks, middle blocker Alyssa Jensen became the first player to record 100 career blocks in a Rise uniform. She also added a season-high seven kills (.211) and three digs.
· Rise first-round draft pick Alexis Shelton came off the bench to record seven kills and four attack errors on 15 swings.
· Indy improved to 2-0 against the Rise this season, with both matches going four sets at the Fishers Event Center. Grand Rapids will get Indy at home on March 25 and April 17.
GR 25 18 22 20 — 1
IND 23 25 25 25 — 3
Team Leaders
GR: Kills — Paige Briggs-Romine 15, Alyssa Jensen 7, Alexis Shelton 7, Candela Alonso-Corcelles 7; Assists — Camryn Turner 36, Morgan Hentz 5; Aces — Alonso-Corcelles 2; Blocks — Leah Meyer 2, Jensen 2, Alonso-Corcelles 2; Digs — Alonso-Corcelles 12, Hentz 12, Turner 11.
IND: Kills — Leketor Member-Meneh 15, Kayla Lund 13, Camryn Hannah 10; Assists — Mia Tuaniga 50, Elena Scott 2; Aces — Azhani Tealer 1, Tuaniga 1, Alexandra Botezat 1; Blocks — Botezat 4; Digs — Scott 17, Tuaniga 12, Member-Meneh 7.
A — 3,466
Record / Next Match
Grand Rapids: 5-10 / Fri., March 13 at Atlanta Vibe, 7 p.m.
Indy: 13-2 / Thu., March 12 at Orlando Valkyries, 7 p.m.
Photo by Indy Ignite