Orlando Falls to Dallas, Sit 8-8 in Third Place
MLV Orlando Valkyries

Orlando Falls to Dallas, Sit 8-8 in Third Place

Published on March 7, 2026 under Major League Volleyball (MLV)
Orlando Valkyries News Release


ORLANDO, Fla. - Coming off a four-set win over the Columbus Fury Thursday night, the Orlando Valkyries fell to the Dallas Pulse at home in straight sets (23-25, 26-28, 19-25).

Orlando came out strong early but struggled to sustain an offensive rhythm as the match progressed. After hitting an efficient .292 in the opening set, the Valkyries cooled off, posting hitting percentages of .080 and .161 in the next two frames to finish the night hitting .162, compared to Dallas' .317. The Pulse's league-leading offense was led once again by rookie outside hitter Mimi Colyer, who tallied a match-high 18 kills while hitting .400, continuing to build an impressive rookie campaign.

For Orlando, much of the offensive production came through the middle, as middle blockers Natalie Foster and Kaz Brown each recorded seven kills. Foster finished hitting .500, while Brown finished at .278. Outside hitter Charitie Luper also added seven kills as the trio led the Valkyries with seven kills apiece.

Tonight, not only was Dallas in control offensively, but their defense stood out as well, out blocking the Valkyries 11-6. Amy Pauly mentioned postgame that Dallas' toughness at the net played a major role in disrupting their offense. "I felt like we just couldn't get ourselves in a rhythm as a whole. Dallas was really big tonight with their hands at the net, and it made it difficult for us to put the ball down on the other side. I felt like we had some good stretches, but it didn't get us to where we needed to be. Kudos to them. We'll regroup, learn from it, and get back to it."

Even with a tough loss at home and sitting at 8-8 with 12 matches left in the regular season, Amy Pauly's message remains clear to everyone in the locker room: We still have everything we want right in front of us. "I told the team that we're still in third place. We need to play better as a group and have some things to clean up, but the best teams end up getting hot at the right time and we'll work to get there. We've got a great challenge coming up at Indy and we'll be ready to go for Thursday."

Notes:

Dallas out-blocked Orlando 11-6

Mimi Coyler led both teams with 18 kills

Kaz Brown, Charitie Luper, and Natalie Foster led the Valkyries each with seven kills

Natalie Foster recorded one service ace tonight, two away from becoming the first ever player in MLV history to 100 service aces

Next Match: Orlando Valkyries (8-8) vs Indy Ignite (12-2) | Thursday, March 12, 7:00 p.m. ET | Fishers Event Center | Roku

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Major League Volleyball Stories from March 7, 2026


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