Rise Seeking First Win over Dallas, First Road Win in Omaha
MLV Grand Rapids Rise

Rise Seeking First Win over Dallas, First Road Win in Omaha

Published on March 17, 2026 under Major League Volleyball (MLV)
Grand Rapids Rise News Release


Grand Rapids Rise all smiles after an important point
Grand Rapids Rise all smiles after an important point
(Grand Rapids Rise, Credit: Nicolas Carrillo)

This Week's Matches

RISE (6-10) vs. Dallas Pulse (12-5) // Wed., March 18 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena

Watch: MLV YouTube Channel at 7 p.m.

Listen: 96.1 The Game at 6:45 p.m.

Season Series: 0-2 Overall, 0-0 Home. Third of four meetings overall, first of two at Van Andel Arena

All-Time Regular Season Series: 0-2 Overall, 0-0 Home

Noteworthy: The Pulse won the first two matches of this four-game series in Dallas, taking a 3-1 victory on Feb. 8 and a 3-0 sweep on Feb. 22. The Rise captured the first set on Feb. 8 before dropping the next six sets. Dallas holds a league-best 7-1 record on the road, its only loss coming Jan. 31 at the league-leading Indy Ignite. The Pulse are riding a four-match winning streak, including three consecutive sweeps over Orlando, Columbus, and Atlanta.

RISE at Omaha Supernovas (9-9) // Fri., March 20 // 8 p.m. // CHI Health Center

Watch: CBS Sports Network at 8 p.m.

Season Series: 1-1 Overall, 0-0 Away. Third of four meetings overall, first of two at CHI Health Center

All-Time Regular Season Series: 2-8 Overall, 0-4 Away

Noteworthy: The Rise defeated the Supernovas for just the second time in franchise history in their most recent meeting on March 7, a matchup between the two inaugural-season finalists. Grand Rapids, however, has yet to beat Omaha on the road in its history. The Supernovas snapped a six-match losing streak last week, including a five-set home win over Indy witnessed by a record crowd of 16,838 - the largest attendance ever for a U.S. professional volleyball match.

Heating Up: Grand Rapids has won three of its last four matches to improve to 6-10 overall after dropping seven of eight. The last time the Rise won three of four was during a three-match winning streak from March 2-9, 2025. The Rise enter the week two matches back of the final playoff spot with 12 remaining on the schedule. The Omaha Supernovas and Orlando Valkyries currently hold the final two playoff spots at 9-9, while the Atlanta Vibe and San Diego Mojo sit one match back at 7-9.

Rise All-Stars: Rise libero Morgan Hentz and outside hitter Paige Briggs-Romine have been selected to play in the 2026 AdventHealth Major League Volleyball All-Star Match. The star-studded match will be played at noon on Saturday, March 28, at Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, Florida, and will be broadcast live on CBS and Paramount+.

Hentz and Briggs-Romine will compete on Team Launiere, led by longtime University of Utah head coach Beth Launiere. Team Launiere will face Team Meske, coached by University of Louisville head coach Dan Meske.

The selection marks Hentz's second MLV All-Star honor and the first for Briggs-Romine.

Hentz joined Grand Rapids on Feb. 13 in a trade with the Omaha Supernovas and has appeared in seven matches (25 sets) with the Rise. She has totaled 106 digs (4.24 per set) and 27 assists during that stretch. Grand Rapids is 4-3 since her arrival, including three wins against her former MLV teams - twice against Atlanta and once against Omaha.

Briggs-Romine leads Grand Rapids in points (216), kills (191) and double-doubles (10) this year. The 5-foot-10 outside hitter is averaging 13.6 kills and 13.1 digs per match while adding 19 blocks, seven assists and six aces across 14 matches (54 sets). She has recorded double-digit kills in 16 consecutive matches dating back to the 2025 season. Briggs-Romine ranks among the Rise's all-time leaders in several categories, holding the franchise record with 20 double-doubles while sitting second in points (476) and third in both kills (417) and digs (423).

First Time at Van Andel: The Pulse are making their first trip to Grand Rapids and Van Andel Arena in franchise history. The Rise are still seeking their first win over the new franchise after dropping two matches in Dallas earlier this season.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Images from this story

Grand Rapids Rise all smiles after an important point
Grand Rapids Rise all smiles after an important point
(Nicolas Carrillo)		   



Major League Volleyball Stories from March 17, 2026


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