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PVF Grand Rapids Rise

Rise Set for Postseason Debut

May 14, 2024 - Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF)
Grand Rapids Rise News Release


Grand Rapids Rise
Grand Rapids Rise
(Grand Rapids Rise, Credit: Nicolas Carrillo)

This Week's Matches

RISE (12-12) vs. Atlanta Vibe (19-5) // Wed., May 15 // 7 p.m. ET // CHI Health Center

Watch: CBS Sports Network at 7 p.m.

Season Series: 2-2 Overall, 1-1 Home, 1-1 Away.

Noteworthy: The top-seeded Atlanta Vibe and No. 4-seeded Grand Rapids Rise compete in the first-ever Pro Volleyball Federation playoff match at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska. The winner of the semifinal affair advances to League championship match to face the winner of the No. 2-seeded Omaha Supernovas and No. 3-seeded San Diego Mojo.

Pro Volleyball Federation Championship Match // Sat., May 18 // 4:30 p.m. ET // CHI Health Center

Watch: CBS Sports Network at 4:30 p.m.

Season Series: 1-3 Overall, 1-1 Home, 0-2 Away (against both Omaha and San Diego)

Noteworthy: If Grand Rapids upsets No. 1-seeded Atlanta, then the Rise would face either host Omaha or San Diego in the final. The championship-winning team will receive a trophy and $1 million. The hardware stands 26 inches tall, with an antique gold and black finish. The ball at the top is a full-size, exact replica of the REAL Pro Volleyball - which was custom-made for use by the players in the League.

The Final Four: The Rise are the No. 4 seed in Pro Volleyball Federation playoffs and are facing the top-seeded Atlanta Vibe in the semifinals. The two teams split in the regular season with Grand Rapids winning the first two meetings on Feb. 9 and Feb. 18 before Atlanta won the next two on April 1 and April 16. The Vibe are 15-2 since the start of March, but they enter the postseason having been idle for 13 days after playing their regular-season finale against Columbus on May 2.

The other semifinal match will feature the No. 2-seeded Omaha Supernovas against the No. 3-seeded San Diego Mojo. Omaha and San Diego are also 2-2 against each other this season. Atlanta is a combined 9-3 against the other playoff teams, whereas Omaha (6-6), San Diego (5-7), and Grand Rapids (4-8) are .500 or below.

The two semifinal winners will advance to the League championship match on Saturday, May 18, at 4:30 p.m. All three postseason matches are being broadcast by CBS Sports Network. There will also be pre- and post-match shows streamed on the Pro Volleyball Federation YouTube channel.

Finale Fireworks: Grand Rapids ended its inaugural regular season on Sunday with a memorable come-from-behind victory over the Supernovas. The Rise overcame a 2-1 deficit to improve to 3-4 in five-set matches and beat Omaha for the first time this season. Both squads rotated through everybody on their respective active rosters to rest key starters heading into the playoffs. It was the first time this season that Grand Rapids played all 14 players in a match. With the starters on the floor in the opening set, the Rise won 25-16 and hit a season-best .586. Omaha then went to its reserves and won the second and third sets. The Rise called upon their bench at the end of the third set and stuck with them through the end of the match.

A total of 5,262 spectators filled Van Andel Arena, the second-largest Rise home crowd behind the sellout season-opener on Jan. 25 (7,805). The final inaugural season attendance was 53,881 over 12 home matches (4,490 average). Grand Rapids finished 7-5 at home after winning four out of the last five matches at Van Andel Arena.

Mini Milestones Tracker: The following achievements were accomplished in the May 12 match against the Omaha Supernovas:

Symone Abbott: .500 hitting percentage (tied fifth-best for a Rise player this season with a minimum of 10 attack attempts) with eight kills and one attack error on 14 swings;

Claire Chaussee: Season-high .444 hitting percentage (20 kills and four errors on 36 attack attempts);

Molly Lohman: First ace of this season;

Erika Pritchard and Shannon Scully: Reached 200 attack attempts for the year;

Grand Rapids Rise: Hit a set-record .586 in the opening frame, finished the match with the most team assists (65), and tied the team record for most kills (72).

Heading into the Sunset: After a 17-year career, opposite hitter Emiliya Dimitrova is retiring from professional volleyball at the end of this season. The Rise captain made her pro debut in 2007 with Slavia Sofia in Bulgaria when she was 16 years old. She had played for 13 club teams in six countries (Bulgaria, Italy, Turkey, Romania, Japan, and France) before coming to the United States in 2023. In her future endeavors, she aims to pursue a career as an elementary school teacher while expanding her family in Bulgaria with her husband, Rise assistant coach, Denis Dimitrov.

Dimitrova finished the regular season ranked second in the League in points (4.75) and kills (4.26) per set. In 22 matches played, she racked up 371 kills (.240), 252 digs, 30 blocks, 18 assists, and 12 aces.




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Grand Rapids Rise
Grand Rapids Rise
(Nicolas Carrillo)		   

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