Home Woes Continue as Valkyries Fall to Grand Rapids, Drop to 1-6 at Home
MLV Orlando Valkyries

Home Woes Continue as Valkyries Fall to Grand Rapids, Drop to 1-6 at Home

Published on March 1, 2026 under Major League Volleyball (MLV)
Orlando Valkyries News Release


ORLANDO, Fla. - Following a four-set road win over Dallas on Friday, the Orlando Valkyries, reigning Major League Volleyball champions, were unable to establish much momentum against Grand Rapids, falling to a 1-6 record at home with a 3-1 loss to the Rise (22-25, 24-26, 25-21, 18-25).

After hitting .255 as a team on Friday night, Orlando struggled offensively against Grand Rapids, posting a .137 hitting percentage, their second lowest of the season. Despite a low night offensively, one bright spot came from opposite hitter Naya Shime, who has continued to impress stepping in for Brittany Abercrombie, leading the Valkyries with 15 kills in her fourth straight match with more than ten kills.

At the net, Grand Rapids held a 15-9 blocking advantage, disrupting the Valkyries' offensive rhythm for the majority of the match. Head coach Amy Pauly stated post-game they've got to find ways to stay consistent through the good and bad.

"Even though we've hit the injury bug and haven't been playing our best volleyball, we still sit in third place at 7-7. Right now, we're in a stretch where we have really high highs and really low lows, so it's on us to bridge that gap and become more consistent as a whole."

Consistency has been the biggest issue for the Valkyries over the last month, who finished February with a 2-4 record. In four of those six matches, the Valkyries have failed to hit higher than a .200 efficiency.

Now at the halfway point of the season at 7-7, the Valkyries know there's still a lot to grow from. Outside hitter Lindsey Vander Weide stated that despite all that, she still has a lot of confidence that Orlando can go on a run, similar to the nine-match win streak they went on last year. "We know what were capable of and we've had spurts where we play at really high levels this season. No one is thrilled with where were at right now but were going to figure this thing out and it's going to be special when we do."

Notes:

Grand Rapids out-blocked Orlando 15-9

Naya Shime led Orlando with 15 kills

Orlando dropped to 1-6 at home this season; Only two teams in MLV have winning records at home (San Diego & Indy)

Next Match: Orlando Valkyries (7-7) vs Columbus Fury (3-9) | Thursday, March 5, 7:00 p.m. ET | Addition Financial Arena | Roku Channel

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Major League Volleyball Stories from March 1, 2026


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