Rise Travel to Omaha Thursday, Return Home Saturday for Ignite Showdown

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PVF Grand Rapids Rise

Rise Travel to Omaha Thursday, Return Home Saturday for Ignite Showdown

April 15, 2025 - Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF)
Grand Rapids Rise News Release


Grand Rapids Rise middle blocker Alyssa Jensen goes up for the block against the Indy Ignite
Grand Rapids Rise middle blocker Alyssa Jensen goes up for the block against the Indy Ignite
(Grand Rapids Rise, Credit: Kenzie Knuckles/Indy Ignite)

This Week's Matches

RISE (10-13) at Omaha Supernovas (16-6) // Thu., April 17 // 8 p.m. EDT // CHI Health Center

Watch: VBTV at 8 p.m.

Season Series: 0-2 Overall, 0-1 Away. Third of four meetings overall, second of two at CHI Health Center

All-Time Regular Season Series: 1-6 Overall, 0-3 Away

Noteworthy: The Supernovas won the first two matchups this season, starting with a 3-0 sweep in the Rise's home opener on Jan. 12, followed by a 3-1 victory at home on March 30. The Rise have yet to win in Omaha and hold a 9-19 all-time record in sets played against the Supernovas, having been outscored 658-627.

RISE vs. Indy Ignite (12-10) // Sat., April 19 // Noon // Van Andel Arena

Listen: 96.1 The Game at 11:45 a.m.

Watch: CBS Sports Network at Noon

Season Series: 1-2 Overall, 0-1 Home. Fourth of four meetings overall, second of two at Van Andel Arena

All-Time Regular Season Series: 1-2 Overall, 0-1 Home

Noteworthy: The Rise secured their first-ever win over the Ignite last Saturday, April 12, in Indy. Grand Rapids rallied from a 2-1 deficit to take the match in five sets, winning 25-17, 22-25, 21-25, 25-18, 15-11. Before this victory, the Rise were just 3-18 all time when trailing 2-1 after three sets. The Ignite, now on a two-match losing streak, will look to bounce back when they host the Vegas Thrill on Thursday, April 17, before heading up to Grand Rapids.

Playoff Mode Activated: The Rise enter Thursday's contest against the league-leading Omaha Supernovas 2.5 matches back of a playoff spot, with just five matches remaining. Although the Rise don't control their own destiny, they still will have a significant influence on the playoff race, as all their remaining matches will be against teams currently in the four postseason spots: Omaha Supernovas (twice, 16-6), Atlanta Vibe (once, 16-8), Orlando Valkyries (once, 13-10), and Indy Ignite (once, 12-10). The Rise have a combined record of 3-8 against those teams this season, with a five-set win at home against Orlando (Jan. 30), a road sweep at Atlanta (Jan. 19), and, most recently, a 3-2 road win over Indy (April 12).

Remaining schedules for the teams vying for a playoff spot:

Monster Blockers: Through 23 matches, the Rise lead the League in both total blocks (285) and blocks per set (3.13), thanks in large part to standout middle blocker Ali Bastianelli. She's currently tied for first in the league with 71 blocks this season. Alyssa Jensen has also made a huge leap at the net, tallying 49 blocks after recording just 19 last season. For comparison, the Rise finished with 243 total blocks over 26 matches in 2024.

Grand Rapids tied the PVF record for most blocks in a match with 24 during Saturday's 3-2 road win over the Ignite. Earlier this season, on March 2, the Rise also set a League record for most blocks in a three-set match with 18 in a win over Vegas.

Bastianelli has been a force all season, recording at least one block in 21 straight matches and notching three or more blocks in 12 matches. She set a franchise record with nine blocks in Saturday's win over Indy, while also surpassing Marin Grote's single-season team record of 69 rejections. Bastianelli has the most blocks recorded in PVF history with 134 in 42 matches played, averaging 3.19 per match.

Match #50: The Rise will play the 50th match in franchise history on Thursday when they take on the Supernovas. Grand Rapids holds an all-time record of 23-26 but has outscored its opponents by 31 points overall (4,420-4,389). The Rise have a 12-11 record at home, are 10-14 on the road, and 1-1 at neutral sites, with both neutral-site matches taking place during the 2024 playoffs.




Images from this story

Grand Rapids Rise middle blocker Alyssa Jensen goes up for the block against the Indy Ignite
Grand Rapids Rise middle blocker Alyssa Jensen goes up for the block against the Indy Ignite
(Kenzie Knuckles/Indy Ignite)		   

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