Rise Rally Behind 18 Blocks for 3-1 Road Win in Atlanta
Published on March 13, 2026 under Major League Volleyball (MLV)
Grand Rapids Rise News Release
Grand Rapids Rise's Paige Briggs-Romine and Alyssa Jensen in action
(Grand Rapids Rise, Credit: Royce Bussey)
ATLANTA - Despite missing former starting middle blockers Rhamat Alhassan and Leah Meyer due to injury, the Grand Rapids Rise outblocked the Atlanta Vibe, 18-9, en route to a 3-1 road victory Friday night at Gas South Arena.
Grand Rapids dropped the opening set 25-19 but responded by winning the next three 25-23, 25-23, 25-19 to secure its third road win of the season and second victory over Atlanta this year. It marked just the second time in franchise history the Rise have overcome a 1-0 deficit on the road in 18 matches.
Middle blocker Alyssa Jensen led the net-front presence with six blocks, tying a career high, with half of them coming in the fourth set. Rookie Candela Alonso-Corcelles added five blocks, also a career high, and outside hitter Carli Snyder had three.
Yet it was the Vibe that took the first set without recording a single block. Instead, Atlanta won the serve-receive battle with four aces and hit .375 as a team. The Vibe won five of the final six points to claim the opening frame, 25-19.
Atlanta setter Averi Carlson continued to find Aiko Jones, who finished with a match-high 24 kills on a .311 hitting percentage. Jones also added 11 digs and a block. MLV 2024 MVP Leah Edmond was the only other Vibe player to reach double-digit kills with 11 but was held to a .019 hitting percentage and was blocked six times.
The Vibe took four of the first five points in the second set, but a 4-0 Rise run with an Elizabet Inneh ace quickly turned the score. Grand Rapids finished with four aces and a season-low five service errors. Atlanta didn't manage to pick up another ace after having four in the first set.
Tied at 18 in the second set, Rise setter Camryn Turner shined on back-to-back plays, recording her second kill of the match and a last-ditch pancake dig that set up Snyder's third block. Atlanta called a timeout, but Alonso-Corcelles blocked them again coming out of the break, and Snyder added a kill to extend the late-set 4-0 spurt.
Atlanta fought off two set points before Paige Briggs-Romine evened the match at 1-1 with a kill to win the second set by the minimum, 25-23.
Grand Rapids scored four of the first five points of the third set in a role reversal. The Rise twice held a five-point cushion, but Atlanta fought back to tie it at 18. Briggs-Romine's 10th kill, followed by a Vibe serve into the net, gave Grand Rapids a 25-23 set win. It was only the fourth third-set win in 16 matches this season and marked the first time this year they have won consecutive sets by two points.
The fourth set belonged to Jensen. The former Michigan State standout and third-year Rise veteran scored six of the first 14 points with three kills and three blocks. Grand Rapids led by as many as nine points at 19-10 and closed out the set 25-19, earning their third win in the last four matches.
Alonso-Corcelles had four of her career-high nine kills in the fourth set, along with two of her five blocks. Snyder and Alonso-Corcelles both got a team-high 15 points, followed by Briggs-Romine (14), Jensen (12), and Berkeley Oblad (10) in double figures.
Notes
Oblad scored all her points on a season-high 10 kills, hitting .348 for the match.
Rise libero Morgan Hentz and Snyder both had a team-high 16 digs. Atlanta finished with 18 more digs (87-69).
Briggs-Romine posted 11 kills and 14 digs for her 10th double-double of the season and 20th of her Rise career, the most in franchise history. She has now recorded double-digit kills in 16 straight matches. Snyder (11 kills, 16 digs) and Turner (46 assists, 13 digs) also finished with double-doubles.
Atlanta is the first team Grand Rapids has beaten twice this season.
Photo Gallery
Highlights
GR 19 25 25 25 - 3
ATL 25 23 23 19 - 1
Team Leaders
GR: Kills - Paige Briggs-Romine 11, Carli Snyder 11, Berkeley Oblad 10; Assists - Camryn Turner 46; Aces - Elizabet Inneh 1, Snyder 1, Briggs-Romine 1, Candela Alonso-Corcelles; Blocks - Alyssa Jensen 6, Alonso-Corcelles 5, Snyder 3; Digs - Morgan Hentz 16, Snyder 16, Briggs-Romine 14, Turner 13.
ATL: Kills - Aiko Jones 24, Leah Edmond 11, Taylor Smith 8, Jackie Moore 8; Assists - Averi Carlson 49; Aces - Smith 2, Moore 2; Blocks - Edmond 4, Phoebe Awoleye 3; Digs - Edmond 21, Britt Rampelberg 19, Smith 14, Carlson 14.
A - 1,740
Record / Next Match
Grand Rapids: 6-10 / Wed., March 18 vs. Dallas Pulse, 7 p.m.
Atlanta: 7-8 / Sun., March 15 at Dallas Pulse, 4 p.m.
Images from this story
 Grand Rapids Rise's Paige Briggs-Romine and Alyssa Jensen in action (Royce Bussey) |
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