Atlanta Vibe Sweep Orlando Valkyries at Home, 3-0
Published on March 19, 2026 under Major League Volleyball (MLV)
Atlanta Vibe News Release
The Atlanta Vibe swept the Orlando Valkyries at home, 3-0, Thursday behind the dominant offensive duo of Outside Hitter Leah Edmond and Opposite Hitter Aiko Jones.
Atlanta Vibe Head Coach Kayla Banwarth said the win was close to a "flow state" as a team with a collective hitting efficiency of .368 and behind 31 combined kills from Edmond and Jones.
"It's nice to see that come together tonight and it's nice to see the things that we're working on in practice translate to matches," Banwarth said. "I challenged them to be aggressive tonight and I thought that they nailed that."
Atlanta jumped out to the early lead with a clinical 25-22 win in the first set behind a combined 10 kills and three blocks from Edmond and Jones to make it 1-0.
The Vibe doubled up in the second set with an emphatic 25-16 result keyed through an additional combined 13 kills from Edmond and Jones.
Atlanta scored the sweep in the third set, 25-20, with the final stamp of Outside Hitter Taylor Smith's 8 kills.
Setter Averi Carlson was sharp throughout in providing perfectly weighted balls to her hitters, finishing the match with a double-double of 46 assists and 13 digs - her eighth match of the season with 40 or more assists.
Edmond led the Vibe with 17 kills and scored a double-double with 10 digs, three aces and two blocks. She has 11 matches with 15 or more kills in 2026.
"I think for us, it was just being calm and having an aggression in every aspect of the game," Edmond said in comparing the sweep to the Vibe's first 3-2 win of the season over Orlando in February. "I think we were going after it in certain situations that maybe we were a little bit more timid down there the first time."
Jones had 14 kills and a double-double of her own with 12 digs, four blocks and an ace.
Smith scored the team's fourth and final double-double of the night with 11 kills and 11 digs.
Thursday's victory was the Vibe's second sweep of the season, the first coming on January 11 against the Grand Rapids Rise.
Jones highlighted one of her favorite mantras: "What got us here, doesn't keep us here" in how the Vibe can simultaneously relish the victory and look ahead.
"It feels great, but I wouldn't call it a relief because we have to keep doing those small things, the whole team and the coaches too," Jones said. "The details and the scout, all those small things are what go into the win."
Atlanta takes to the road for the team's next match against the Dallas Pulse on Thursday, March 26 at 8 pm ET.
Major League Volleyball Stories from March 19, 2026
- Fury Rally Falls Short against the Ignite - Columbus Fury
- Valkyries Fall in Atlanta Despite Foster's Strong Night - Orlando Valkyries
- Atlanta Vibe Sweep Orlando Valkyries at Home, 3-0 - Atlanta Vibe
- Supernovas Carry Winning Form into Friday Clash vs. Grand Rapids - Omaha Supernovas
- Game Preview: San Diego Mojo at Dallas Pulse: March 21, 2026 - San Diego Mojo
- Dallas Pulse Extends Winning Streak to Five with 3-1 Win over Grand Rapids Rise - Dallas Pulse
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
