Rise Open 2026 Season in Orlando on Friday, Atlanta on Sunday
MLV Grand Rapids Rise

Rise Open 2026 Season in Orlando on Friday, Atlanta on Sunday

Published on January 6, 2026 under Major League Volleyball (MLV)
Grand Rapids Rise News Release


Grand Rapids Rise hit the court
Grand Rapids Rise hit the court
(Grand Rapids Rise, Credit: Nicolas Carrillo)

This Week's Matches

RISE (0-0) at Orlando Valkyries (0-0) // Fri., Jan. 9 // 7 p.m. EST // Addition Financial Arena

Watch: The Roku Channel at 7 p.m.

Season Series: 0-0 Overall, 0-0 Away. First of four meetings overall, first of two at Addition Financial Arena

All-Time Regular Season Series: 3-5 Overall, 1-3 Away

Noteworthy: The Rise open the 2026 MLV season on the road against the defending champion Valkyries. Grand Rapids beat Orlando in their first meeting of the 2025 season, but then lost the next three, including a five-set reverse sweep at home in their last meeting on April 30, 2025. The Valkyries are led by 2025 League MVP Brittany Abercrombie, while the Rise bring back 2025 All-League Second Team selection Carli Snyder.

RISE at Atlanta Vibe (0-0) // Sun., Jan. 11 // 4 p.m. EST // Gas South Arena

Watch: CBS Sports Network at 4 p.m.

Season Series: 0-0 Overall, 0-0 Home. First of four meetings overall, first of two at Gas South Arena

All-Time Regular Season Series: 3-5 Overall, 2-2 Away

Noteworthy: Atlanta posted the second-best record in the league last season (19-9) but for a second consecutive season bowed out in the first round of playoffs with a 3-1 loss to the Valkyries. The Vibe return the 2024 Most Valuable Player of the Year in outside hitter Leah Edmond and the 2025 Coach of the Year in Kayla Banwarth. Atlanta kicks off the 2026 MLV season with a home match against the Columbus Fury on Thursday, Jan. 8. The Rise have lost their last three matches against the Vibe but are 2-0 when playing in Atlanta at the start of a new season.

Reset and Ready for Season 3: The wait is finally over. After 252 days, the Rise return to the court for the franchise's third season. A turbulent 2025 campaign saw Grand Rapids both open and close the year with three-match losing streaks, but the season also offered signs of promise, highlighted by separate four-match and three-match winning streaks. The Rise finished with a 11-17 record - fifth in the league - missing the playoffs by just two wins. Despite the result, Grand Rapids set the defensive standard, leading the league in total blocks (344) and holding opponents to a .202 hitting percentage during the regular season.

Challenging the Champs: The Valkyries hold the upper hand in the series, winning the last three meetings to take a 5-3 all-time advantage. Despite that, the Rise scored five more total points across the eight all-time matches, 720-715. Grand Rapids is 1-3 all-time in Orlando, with its lone road win coming in a 3-0 sweep on April 11, 2024. The Rise also claimed a dramatic five-set victory at home in the teams' first meeting last season, winning 24-26, 25-15, 17-25, 25-18, 15-12.

Orlando closed the 2025 season on a seven-match winning streak and captured the franchise's first championship with a four-set win over the No. 4-seeded Indy Ignite. The Valkyries' last loss was a 3-0 home defeat to the Atlanta Vibe on April 12, 2025.

At ATL: The Rise earned their first win of the 2025 season with a 3-0 sweep on Jan. 19 in the Big Peach. Grand Rapids owns a stronger record against the Vibe in Atlanta (2-2) than at home (1-3), the only current MLV opponent they can claim that against. The Rise also set a team record with 103 digs in Atlanta on April 26, 2025.

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Images from this story

Grand Rapids Rise hit the court
Grand Rapids Rise hit the court
(Nicolas Carrillo)		   



Major League Volleyball Stories from January 6, 2026


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