Rise Take Defending Champs Orlando to Five Before Falling in Season Opener
MLV Grand Rapids Rise

Rise Take Defending Champs Orlando to Five Before Falling in Season Opener

Published on January 9, 2026 under Major League Volleyball (MLV)
Grand Rapids Rise News Release


Grand Rapids Rise middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan
Grand Rapids Rise middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan
(Grand Rapids Rise, Credit: Orlando Valkyries)

ORLANDO, Fla. - The Grand Rapids Rise attempted to spoil the championship banner night for the defending champion Orlando Valkyries, seizing a 2-1 lead through the first three sets. Orlando had other plans, storming back to take the final two sets to claim a 3-2 season-opening victory by set scores of 25-20, 21-25, 20-25, 25-23, 15-4.

The Valkyries have now won four in a row against the Rise, including back-to-back five-set battles. Grand Rapids dropped its fourth consecutive match dating back to last season despite racking up 19 blocks and holding last year's league-leading offense to a .189 hitting percentage.

In front of their home crowd inside Financial Addition Arena, the Valkyries claimed the opening set of the season, 25-20. Grand Rapids hit .102 with 12 kills and six blocks. Orlando was led by last year's league MVP Brittany Abercrombie, who finished the opening set with eight kills.

Grand Rapids set the tone early in the second, opening an 8-6 lead and stretching it to 10-6 behind Paige Briggs-Romine's third block that tied her Rise single-match high. The 5-foot-10 outside hitter finished with a new personal-best four blocks to go with 12 kills (.243) and 19 digs.

The Rise controlled the middle of the second frame, forcing an Orlando timeout at 12-7.

The Valkyries surged back with a 4-0 run to pull even at 19-19, but Grand Rapids responded with poise. Romania opposite hitter Elizabet Inneh delivered a momentum-shifting kill following a lengthy rally to make it 22-20, then followed that up with two more kills.

Inneh totaled nine kills in the second set alone on a .750 hitting percentage. She finished with a team-high 19 kills (.283) in her Rise debut. Rookie fourth-round pick Hattie Bray came off the bench and sealed the frame with an ace, the first Rise ace of the season, as Grand Rapids won the second set, 25-21.

Rise second-year pro Elena Oglivie replaced starting libero Camila Gómez in the third set and finished with 15 digs in the match, bringing her career total with Grand Rapids to 407.

Newcomer middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan had a kill and block to even the middle frame at 9-9. Alhassan added another kill to give the Rise a 21-16 lead. It was her defense that made the biggest impact in the set - Grand Rapids held Orlando to a -.021 hitting percentage with six blocks, three coming from Alhassan.

Briggs-Romine casually ended the set with a free ball into the middle of the court that Orlando could only watch regretfully, 25-20.

The fourth set belonged to Orlando's Charitie Luper, who went off with eight kills on 12 attack attempts (.583) and helped the Valkyries stay afloat by winning the set by the minimum, 25-23. Orlando also had three of its seven aces in the set, two from rookie Bre Kelley.

The Valkyries left no doubts in the fifth set, scoring 10 straight points to take a commanding 13-2 lead. Luper provided three more kills giving her 22 kills for the match to go with 25 digs. Yet, Abercrombie still led all scorers with 27 points (24 kills, two aces, one block).

Grand Rapids had four players finish with double-digit points: Inneh (21), Briggs-Romine (16), Carli Snyder (14), and Alhassan (13). Setter Saige Ka'aha'aina-Torres tossed up 48 assists and matched Briggs-Romine's team-high 19 digs in her Rise debut.

Notes

Former Rise opposite hitter Naya Shime ended the contest with a kill on match point. She featured in four sets, finishing with two kills on five swings.

Grand Rapids is 1-3 in five-set matches against Orlando and 8-10 all-time, including a 2-6 record in away marathon matches.

Middle blocker Leah Meyer played all five sets for Rise, finishing with six kills (.250), four digs, and three blocks. She has one of four Rise players to get three or more blocks.

Orlando ended up with 106 digs and 15 blocks.

Photo Gallery

GR 20 25 25 23 4 - 2

ORL 25 21 20 25 15 - 3

Team Leaders

GR: Kills - Elizabet Inneh 19, Paige Briggs-Romine 12, Carli Snyder 11; Assists - Saige Ka'aha'aina-Torres 48, Camryn Turner 2, Briggs-Romine 2; Aces - Hattie Bray 1; Blocks - Rhamat Alhassan 6, Briggs-Romine 4, Snyder 3, Leah Meyer 3; Digs - Briggs-Romine 19, Ka'aha'aina-Torres 19, Elena Oglivie 15, Snyder 13.

ORL: Kills - Brittany Abercrombie 24, Charitie Luper 22, Courtney Schwan 7; Assists - Pornpun Guedpard 46, Teodora Pusic 10; Aces - Bre Kelley 2, Abercrombie 2, Schwan 1, Luper 1, Natalie Foster 1; Blocks - Kaz Brown 6, Schwan 4, Luper 2; Digs - Pusic 28, Luper 25, Guedpard 17.

A - 2,893

Record / Next Match

Grand Rapids: 0-1 / Sun., Jan. 11 at Atlanta Vibe, 4 p.m. EST

Orlando: 1-0 / Sun., Jan. 11 at San Diego Mojo, 7 p.m. EST

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Images from this story

Grand Rapids Rise middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan
Grand Rapids Rise middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan
(Orlando Valkyries)		   



Major League Volleyball Stories from January 9, 2026


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