This Week’s Match
RISE (5-10) at Atlanta Vibe (7-7) // Fri., March 13 // 7 p.m. // Gas South Arena
Watch: MLV YouTube Channel at 7 p.m.
Season Series: 1-1 Overall, 0-1 Away. Third of four meetings overall, second of two at Gas South Arena
All-Time Regular Season Series: 4-6 Overall, 2-3 Away
Noteworthy: The Rise and Vibe meet for the third time this season after the teams traded home sweeps in the first two matchups. Atlanta took the opener on Jan. 11 by set scores of 29-27, 25-23, 25-14. Grand Rapids answered with a 3-0 win on Feb. 14 in Morgan Hentz’s Rise debut following the Feb. 13 trade, winning by sets of 25-12, 28-26, 25-22. The 25-12 first-set win marked the largest set-margin victory in franchise history.
Whiplash Weekend: The Rise played two high-profile matches last weekend in less than 22 hours. On Saturday, they faced the Omaha Supernovas for the first time since a Feb. 13 trade that sent libero Hentz to Grand Rapids. Hentz squared off against her former teammates, while Omaha’s Elena Oglivie returned to play against the franchise where she played her first 37 pro matches. In front of 3,708 fans at Van Andel Arena, the Rise won 3-1 (25-17, 27-29, 25-22, 25-14), snapping a six-match losing streak to Omaha that dated back to May 12, 2024, and extending the Supernovas’ current losing skid to six.
On short rest, Grand Rapids then traveled to face the league-leading Indy Ignite on Sunday. The Rise took the opening set but fell 3-1 (23-25, 25-18, 25-22, 25-20), ending their two-match winning streak and dropping to 5-10 overall (2-6 on the road). Indy extended its win streak to seven and improved to 13-2 overall.
First Start for Alonso-Corcelles: Rookie outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles made her first professional start at opposite hitter on Sunday in Indy, opening the match with a kill for the game’s first point. She finished with a season-high seven kills, two aces, two blocks, and a team-high 12 digs. A Madrid, Spain, native, Alonso-Corcelles starred at Indiana University and was selected 11th overall in the second round of the 2025 MLV Draft by the Rise.
Block Century Mark: With two blocks on Sunday, 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 against the Ignite. The all-time Rise leaderboard for blocks:
1. Alyssa Jensen (2024-26), 100 in 44 matches.
2. Marin Grote (2024-25), 95 in 44 matches.
3. Ali Bastianelli (2025), 89 in 28 matches.
Middles Missing: Rise middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan, who had started the first 11 matches of the season, has been inactive the last four matches due to an injury. Alhassan leads the Rise with a .339 hitting percentage and averages 7.2 kills per match.
Grand Rapids also lost middle blocker Leah Meyer to injury early in the third set against Indy on Sunday. Meyer had five kills on eight swings (.625), plus two blocks and a dig before exiting the match. Berkeley Oblad and Hattie Bray filled her spot in the rotation.
Turner’s Turn: Rise second-year setter Camryn Turner has started the last four matches for Grand Rapids and has recorded three straight double-doubles. She averaged 10.8 assists (162 total) and 3.1 digs (47 total) per set. Turner, at 5-foot-8, has also contributed eight blocks across the four matches. Turner has moved into second place in franchise history with 759 career assists, passing August Raskie (660) and now chasing Ashley Evans (1,074).
100-Point Gang: Five Rise players have now crossed over 100 points scored for this season: Paige Briggs-Romine (202), Carli Snyder (182), Alhassan (111), Elizabet Inneh (108), and Meyer (103). Other 100-point scorers from across the league include:
· Atlanta (2): Leah Edmond (270) and Aiko Jones (139);
· Columbus (3): Raina Terry (266), Regan Pittman-Nelson (128), and Megan Lush (126);
· Dallas (4): Mimi Colyer (273), Sofia Maldonado Diaz (250), Layne Van Buskirk (141), and Kaylee Cox (103);
· Indy (5): Leketor Member-Meneh (185), Azhani Tealer (157), Anna DeBeer (150), Lydia Martyn (118), and Blake Mohler (107);
· Omaha (5): Brooke Nuneviller (221), Emily Londot (164), Reagan Cooper (163), Sarah Parsons (128), and Kiara Reinhardt (120);
· Orlando (7): Charitie Luper (172), Hannah Maddux (135), Kaz Brown (132), Brittany Abercrombie (129), Naya Shime (126), Natalie Foster (104), and Courtney Schwan (103);
· San Diego (4): Grace Loberg (203), Jovana Brakočević (155), Marin Grote (138), and Maya Tabron (133).
MLV All-Star Voting: The second MLV All-Star Match is set for Saturday, March 28, at Addition Financial Arena in Orlando and will air on CBS at Noon ET. Fans can vote daily (once every 24 hours) over the next three weeks at ProVolleyball.com/vote. All players on team rosters are eligible, with the top vote-getters earning automatic spots on the 12-player All-Star teams. Additional selections will be made by coaches and the league office.
Championship Venue: Major League Volleyball announced on Feb. 19 that Comerica Center, home of the league’s newest team, the Dallas Pulse, will host the 2026 Major League Volleyball Championship. The event is scheduled for Thursday, May 7, and Saturday, May 9.
Rise-Vibe Connections: Notable shared history between the two teams:
· Rise libero Hentz played for the Vibe from 2024-25;
· Atlanta middle blocker Raven Colvin, now on season-ending injured reserve, was selected seventh overall in the 2024 draft by the Rise. She played in 11 matches (22 sets) with the Rise during her rookie season;
· Leah-squared reunion as Rise middle blocker Meyer played one season in 2019 with former Kentucky teammate Leah Edmond;
· Middle blocker Phoebe Awoleye played with Rise libero Camila Gómez with the Omaha Supernovas last season;
· Vibe assistant coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn coached Briggs-Romine, Gómez, and Allison Mayfield during her tenure (2024-25) as the head coach of the Supernovas.
Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Rise