GRAND RAPIDS RISE 2 vs. Orlando Valkyries 3
April 25, 2026
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Rise gave a loud and boisterous crowd plenty to cheer about in their home finale on Saturday, but the Orlando Valkyries came back from 2-1 down to spoil the party at Van Andel Arena, winning a five-set thriller, 25-21, 20-25, 23-25, 25-23, 15-11.
The loss hurts the Rise’s playoff chances, as they would be eliminated if the San Diego Mojo beat the Columbus Fury on Sunday.
The exciting contest was not offense-heavy, as both the Rise and Valkyries had a .157 hitting percentage. Grand Rapids ended the match with 15 blocks, tied for its fourth-most this season, to Orlando’s 13. The Valkyries out-dug the Rise, 101-98.
The Valkyries registered the first point of the match thanks to a kill from Colby Neal. The teams traded points in the opening portion of the first set thanks to a couple of service errors. No team really gained a true advantage until a 4-1 run for the Rise put them up 7-4 in the frame. Orlando gained a little momentum from a wild 43-hit rally that was finished off by Brittany Abercrombie, leading to a 4-2 run for the visitors. The Valkyries scored seven of nine points to take a 13-11 lead.
Grand Rapids recovered, and the two squads traded blows for the remainder of the set, with neither side able to gain a substantial edge until Orlando went on a 4-1 run, scoring the final three points to clinch the opening frame.
Abercrombie led all players with eight kills in the first set. Elizabet Inneh posted four kills on 13 attacks, while Rhamat Alhassan had three kills on eight swings and a kill percentage of 38.
The Rise put up the first point of set No. 2, but the Valkyries soared back with four straight to take the lead. GR started to find a groove but couldn’t catch up until a 5-1 run gave it an 8-6 lead heading into the first media break. After some back-and-forth action, the Rise nabbed four straight points, including one of Inneh’s five kills in the frame, to go up 18-14. Another 4-0 run gave the home side some rhythm, and though the Valkyries tried to close the gap, a kill from Inneh helped clinch the second set for the Rise.
The Rise posted five blocks in the set, four of which came from Alhassan.
A service error from the Rise’s Carli Snyder kicked off the third set. After some point-trading, Orlando tried to take control of the frame with a 5-1 stretch but Grand Rapids stuck with it, managing to keep things close throughout the set. A quick 3-0 run put Orlando up 20-17 and seemingly on a path to win the set, but consecutive blocks helped the Rise get back within one. GR ended up scoring six of the final nine points to take the set.
Abercrombie led the floor with eight kills in the frame, while Danielle Harbin paced the Rise with four.
Grand Rapids took advantage of an attack error to strike first in the fourth set, but a 5-1 run for Orlando put the visitors up. The Rise rebounded to level the frame 8-8, and a 4-0 run from the home side forced Orlando to burn a timeout to slow the match down. It did the trick, as the Valkyries scored four points in a row to take the lead. Yet, it was going to be another close set, as momentum continued to change hands. The frame was tied at 17-17, 21-21 and 22-22. Despite some close calls, including a challenge from the Rise, the Valkyries grabbed the last three points to send the contest the distance.
Harbin delivered four kills on eight swings in the set, hitting an even 50 percent.
Orlando carried that momentum in the final set, starting the frame 4-0 and scoring five of the first six points. After a timeout taken by head coach Cathy George, the Rise went on a 4-1 run to get back in the frame. The big point of the set came when the Valkyries turned an 8-8 score into a four-point lead. The Rise tried to rally but Orlando was able to hang on and steal the victory.
A trio of Rise players hit double-digit points in the win, as Alhassan (19), Snyder (15) and Inneh (11) led GR’s offense. Snyder and Camryn Turner each had double-doubles, as Snyder also registered 18 digs while Turner led the Rise with 49 assists and 19 digs.
Notes
· Orlando won the season series against Grand Rapids, 3-1, and improved to 8-4 all time against the Rise.
· Grand Rapids remains in postseason contention but needs to win in San Diego on Thursday, have the Mojo lose their other two matches to Columbus and Indy, then prevail on tiebreakers. The two teams are currently tied with 37 match points apiece, which is the first tiebreaker. The Valkyries are also alive for MLV’s final postseason spot, having staved off elimination tonight.
· Grand Rapids failed to register an ace for just the third time this season.
· The Rise finished their third home schedule with a 7-7 record, an improvement from a 6-8 mark at Van Andel Arena in 2025.
· 4,023 fans were in attendance for Saturday’s home finale. Across 14 home matches, the Rise averaged 3,582 supporters.
GR 21 25 25 23 11 — 3
ORL 25 20 23 25 15 — 2
Team Leaders
GR: Kills — Carli Snyder, Rhamat Alhassan (13), Elizabet Inneh (9); Assists — Camryn Turner (49), Morgan Hentz (3), Elizabet Inneh (2); Aces — N/A; Blocks — Rhamat Alhassan (6), Camryn Turner (4); Digs — Morgan Hentz (26), Camryn Turner (19), Carli Snyder (18).
ORL: Kills — Brittany Abercrombie (24), Hannah Maddux (10), Bre Kelley, Zoe Weatherington (7); Assists — Hannah Pukis (43), Pornpun Guedpard (10), Teodora Pusic (6); Aces — Hannah Maddux (2), Bre Kelley (1); Blocks — Bre Kelley (6), Colby Neal (3), Courtney Schwan (3); Digs — Teodara Pusic (18), Brittany Abercrombie (16), Courtney Schwan (16).
A – 4,023
Record / Next Match
Grand Rapids: 12-15 / Thu., April 30 at San Diego Mojo, 10 p.m. EDT
Orlando: 11-15 / Fri., May 1 vs. Atlanta Vibe, 7 p.m.
Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Rise