GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Rise announced on Thursday the re-signings of 2026 team captain Carli Snyder, two-time MLV Libero of the Year Morgan Hentz, 2026 All-MLV Second Team selection Paige Briggs-Romine, and mainstay middle blocker Alyssa Jensen, who has been with franchise since the inaugural 2024 season.
Additional information on each returning player is below:
Carli Snyder, OH
The ninth-year pro from Macomb, Michigan, returns for her third season with the Rise after serving as team captain in 2025 and establishing herself as one of the franchise’s most decorated players. In 2026, Snyder appeared in 25 matches (99 sets) and totaled 310 kills, 276 digs, 29 blocks and 16 aces, recording 13 double-doubles and a season-high 28 points against San Diego on Feb. 12. She has earned the league’s Player of the Week honor in each of her first two seasons with the Rise.
She played all 28 matches in 2025 and led the team with 315 kills while adding 314 digs, 40 blocks and 33 aces, earning All-League Second Team and All-Star Match honors after posting 12 double-doubles and setting a Rise single-match record with six aces against Columbus on March 28. Snyder enters 2027 holding Rise career records in points (743), kills (625), attack attempts (2,071), aces (49), digs (590) and sets played (210).
Before joining the Rise, she spent six professional seasons in France, where she was twice named Best Outside Hitter in Ligue A and earned Best Outside Hitter and Best Server honors at the 2022-23 French Cup with RC Cannes. At Florida, she helped the Gators win three SEC championships, reached the 2017 NCAA title match and earned AVCA All-American recognition three times. Her standout career began at Dakota High School, where she was named Miss Michigan Volleyball and Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year and finished with school records for kills, digs and aces.
“I’m so excited to be back in Grand Rapids for season three,” Snyder said. “It’s so special for me to be able to continue playing volleyball in my home state. I’ve loved my first two years and I’m looking forward to bringing more wins and memories to Grand Rapids.”
Morgan Hentz, L
The two-time MLV Libero of the Year returns to the Rise after being acquired from the Omaha Supernovas in a midseason trade on Feb. 13, 2026. The seventh-year pro from Lakeside Park, Kentucky, set regular-season league records with 30 matches and 121 sets played between Omaha and Grand Rapids in 2026, totaling an MLV-best 471 digs and 113 assists while setting a Rise single-season record with 3.89 digs per set. Of the 50 Player of the Week awards the league has handed out over the past three seasons, liberos have won four, with Hentz accounting for two of them, including one with the Rise last season. Hentz earned Libero of the Year honors in 2024 and 2025 after leading the league in digs per set both seasons and setting the single-season league record with 508 digs.
Hentz was recently named to the 2026 U.S. Women’s National Team Volleyball Nations League roster for this summer. She has been a key contributor for Team USA in the past, winning gold medals at the USA Volleyball Cup in 2022 and 2024 and silver medals at the 2015 U19 World Championships and 2023 NORCECA Championships. She has competed in the Volleyball Nations League since 2022, helped the United States qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics, and has been on the roster for the last two World Championships.
At Stanford, Hentz was a three-time NCAA champion, three-time Pac-12 champion, three-time AVCA First Team All-American, and three-time Pac-12 Libero of the Year, finishing with school records for career digs and digs per set. Her prep career at Notre Dame Academy in Park Hills, Kentucky, included 2015 Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year and Miss Kentucky Volleyball honors.
“I wanted to re-sign with Grand Rapids because the Rise is, from top to bottom, an extremely professional organization that cares for its players on and off the court,” Hentz said. “I felt the support and freedom from staff and teammates to compete with intensity and joy. I’m most excited to get back in the gym with returning and new teammates. I’m excited for us to build and work together in the pursuit of a great season.”
Paige Briggs-Romine, OH
The homegrown fourth-year pro from Ortonville, Michigan, returns for her third season with the Rise after emerging as one of the team’s top six-rotation players. In 2026, Briggs-Romine appeared in 26 matches (104 sets) and led Grand Rapids with 343 kills while adding 331 digs, 26 blocks, 14 assists, and 14 aces. She produced a team-record 19 double-doubles, earning All-MLV Second Team and All-Star Match honors for the first time in her career.
She also played 27 matches (93 sets) for the Rise in 2025, totaling 226 kills, 239 digs, 20 blocks, 11 assists and 14 aces while recording 10 double-doubles and a season-high 20 points against San Diego on March 9. Briggs-Romine enters 2027 ranked second in franchise history in points (643), kills (569), aces (28), digs (570) and sets played (197), trailing only Snyder in each category. She is also a two-time MLV Player of the Week, earning the recognition in 2025 and again in 2026.
Before joining Grand Rapids, Briggs-Romine played 25 matches for the Supernovas as a rookie during the inaugural 2024 season and helped Omaha capture the league title. At Western Kentucky, she totaled 1,838 kills, 1,419 digs, 211 blocks and 181 aces across five seasons, earning AVCA All-America recognition three times and five Conference USA First Team honors. Her prep career included a Class A state title with Lake Orion High School as a senior, and she was a 2018 Miss Michigan Volleyball finalist.
“Re-signing with the Rise was a no-brainer. I love Grand Rapids and getting to play volleyball in my home state of Michigan,” Briggs-Romine said. “In the 2027 season, I'm most excited to see what the team can accomplish and see all the amazing fans back in Van Andel Arena for some more great volleyball.”
Alyssa Jensen, MB
The local Holland, Michigan, native returns for her fourth professional season after providing a steady presence in the middle since the Rise’s inaugural 2024 campaign. She joins Atlanta Vibe’s Leah Edmond as one of only a handful of players entering a fourth season with the same MLV team. In 2026, Jensen appeared in 21 matches (68 sets) and totaled 84 kills on a .295 hitting percentage, a team-high 60 blocks, 34 digs, 11 assists and three aces. She posted a season-high 15 points against the eventual 2026 MLV champion Dallas Pulse on March 18 and led the league with 0.88 blocks per set.
Jensen played 22 matches (71 sets) in 2025, totaling 88 kills, 64 blocks, 50 digs and four aces, with three or more blocks in 15 matches and a season-high 12 points in a March 9 win over San Diego. During the Rise’s inaugural 2024 season, Jensen appeared in 13 matches (31 sets) and recorded 25 kills, 19 blocks, 11 digs and three aces, highlighted by three straight matches with four blocks and a season-high 10 points at Vegas on March 26.
At Michigan State from 2014-17, Jensen played under Rise head coach George and finished her collegiate career with 1,002 kills and 521 blocks. She earned AVCA Second Team All-America honors in both 2016 and 2017, as well as First Team All-Big Ten recognition in each of those seasons. Her prep career at Holland Christian included Miss Michigan Volleyball finalist recognition, two Holland Sentinel Player of the Year awards, all-state honors as a junior and senior, and four straight all-conference and all-region selections.
“Re-signing with the Rise was an easy decision,” Jensen said. “I love this city. My family lives here and gets to watch me play, my daughter gets to grow up knowing that this is an option for her one day, and the fans are so supportive. Heading into the 2027 season, I’m most looking forward to meeting and competing alongside a group of talented women. Let’s get the 2027 season rolling!”
Additional roster announcements will be made throughout the offseason as the Rise continue building their roster for their fourth season, which begins in January 2027.
ABOUT MAJOR LEAGUE VOLLEYBALL
Major League Volleyball, entering its fourth season in 2027, is the longest-running formal professional volleyball league 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.
ABOUT THE GRAND RAPIDS RISE
The Grand Rapids Rise made their debut in January 2024 and have completed three seasons as members of Major League Volleyball. Led by longtime Michigan State and Western Michigan head coach Cathy George, the Rise reached the championship match during their inaugural season and rank among the top U.S. women’s pro volleyball teams in attendance. The team is operated by DP Fox Sports & Entertainment and owned by Dan DeVos, who is also majority owner and CEO of the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins and minority owner of Athletic Club Grand Rapids, which will begin play in MLS NEXT Pro in 2027. Visit grrise.com for more information.