Sports stats



PVF Grand Rapids Rise

Rise Aim to Keep Win Streak Alive against Winless Fury

February 6, 2025 - Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF)
Grand Rapids Rise News Release


Grand Rapids Rise opposite hitter Naya Shime goes high against the San Diego Mojo
Grand Rapids Rise opposite hitter Naya Shime goes high against the San Diego Mojo
(Grand Rapids Rise, Credit: Nicolas Carrillo)

This Week's Match

RISE (4-3) at Columbus Fury (0-7) // Fri., Feb. 7 // 7 p.m. // Nationwide Arena

Watch: YouTube at 7 p.m.

Season Series: Second of four meetings overall, second of two at Nationwide Arena

All-Time Regular Season Series: 4-1 Overall, 2-1 Away

Noteworthy: In the first meeting between these two teams this season on Jan. 26, the Rise completed the franchise's first-ever reverse sweep win by set scores of 19-25, 18-25, 25-19, 25-14, 15-12 to keep the Fury winless on the year. Grand Rapids improved to 4-1 all-time over Columbus with a 12-7 edge in sets won and a 417-402 lead in total points scored. The lone match the Fury won against the Rise was a home sweep on April 28, 2024.

On The Rise: After opening the season with three straight losses, the Rise have flipped the script, winning their last four matches - including the franchise's first-ever reverse sweep against the Columbus Fury on Jan. 26. The winning streak is the longest in the team's history. The Rise have also improved to 2-0 this season when trailing 2-1 after three sets, a dramatic turnaround from last year's 1-10 record in the same situation.

This four-match surge also includes sweeps over the Atlanta Vibe (Jan. 19) and San Diego Mojo (Feb. 2), along with a five-set victory against the Orlando Valkyries (Jan. 30). During this stretch, Grand Rapids has outscored its opponents by 37 points (358-321). The longest win streak in PVF history belongs to the Vibe, who won seven straight from March 27 to April 16, 2024.

EP Track Two: PVF Player of the Week Remix: Rise outside hitter Erika Pritchard was named the Week 4 Pro Volleyball Federation Player of the Week presented by Franklin Sports, as announced by the League office on Tuesday. She becomes the second consecutive Rise player to earn the honor, following Carli Snyder's selection for Week 3. Retired Rise opposite hitter Emiliya Dimitrova also won the award once last season.

Prichard finished the week with 41 points (31 kills on a .352 hitting percentage, seven blocks, three aces) across two wins, recording 5.13 points per set. She had a Rise season-high 27 points (21 kills, five blocks, one ace) in a five-set victory over the Valkyries on Jan. 30, then followed that up with 14 points (10 kills, two blocks, two aces) in a sweep of the Mojo on Feb. 2.

Bastianelli's Block Party: Rise middle blocker Ali Bastianelli matched the team record for most blocks in a single match, tallying seven in a 3-0 sweep over her former team, the Mojo, on Feb. 2. Marin Grote also recorded seven blocks on Feb. 18, 2024, though hers came in a five-set victory over the Vibe. Bastianelli has registered at least two blocks in each of her last five matches and leads the team with 19 blocks this season. She also tops the League with 0.95 blocks per set, continuing the dominance she displayed last year when she finished with a PVF-best 1.02 blocks per set.

Offensively Efficient: Grand Rapids is second in the League in team attack percentage, hitting .265. The Rise hit a season-best .288 in the sweep of the Mojo on Feb. 2. Grand Rapids also averages a league-low 3.37 attack errors per set. Three of the Top 8 most efficient attackers across PVF have started the last four matches for the Rise. This trio includes setter August Raskie (.481, 2nd), and middle blockers Grote (.391, 5th) and Bastianelli (.304, 8th).




Images from this story

Grand Rapids Rise opposite hitter Naya Shime goes high against the San Diego Mojo
Grand Rapids Rise opposite hitter Naya Shime goes high against the San Diego Mojo
(Nicolas Carrillo)		   

• Discuss this story on the Pro Volleyball Federation message board...

Pro Volleyball Federation Stories from February 6, 2025


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.

OurSports Central