Atlanta Vibe Falls to Dallas Pulse, 3-2
Published on January 22, 2026 under Major League Volleyball (MLV)
Atlanta Vibe News Release
The Atlanta Vibe came up just short against the Dallas Pulse, 3-2, at home Thursday.
The Vibe battled to a 2-1 advantage after three sets, but dropped the final two to Dallas' consistent attack in the team's third five set match in a row.
"That was disappointing, I think we are better than what we showed tonight and Dallas is a really good team," Vibe Head Coach Kayla Banwarth said. "We were very up and down and you're not going to win a lot of matches when you play up and down, especially in this league that is getting better and better every year."
Atlanta (2-3) took the first set lead, 25-20, behind eight kills from Outside Hitter Leah Edmond and 16 assists from Setter Maddie Waak.
Dallas (2-1) struck back with a 25-22 win in the second set before the Vibe took the lead back in the third set, 25-22, behind three kills and five digs from Opposite Hitter Aiko Jones.
Jones, who finished with a season-best 15 kills, said the coaches have encouraged her to have an "alpha mentality" and to take a big rip at the ball when it comes her way.
"Today I was just like, swung hard one time and it scored, swung hard the next time and it scored, so it's like 'Oh my God, this is working,'" Jones said. "I just tried to ride that wave and it's really cool when your teammates are like 'yes, take the swing.'"
The Pulse carried the final two sets 25-20 and 15-9 to seal the victory behind a combined 41 kills from Outside Hitter duo Mimi Colyer and Sofia Maldonado Diaz.
Banwarth said the five set battles will benefit the Vibe in the long run and that flipping the results will rest on finding footing among the slim margin between victory and defeat.
"I think it's great experience for us and when we get to a fifth set, I want us to feel comfortable," Banwarth said. "I think we did feel comfortable until things got tight and until things started to slip away. We have to find our edge, we have to find our competitiveness, we have to find our gameplan, we have to be able to execute when things are tight and when things aren't going our way."
The Vibe head to Columbus Sunday, January 25 for the team's next match.
Major League Volleyball Stories from January 22, 2026
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- Fury Take Down Supernovas in Omaha - Columbus Fury
- Atlanta Vibe Falls to Dallas Pulse, 3-2 - Atlanta Vibe
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