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PVF Grand Rapids Rise

Rise Upended in Five-Set Marathon as Columbus Secures First Win

February 7, 2025 - Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF)
Grand Rapids Rise News Release


Columbus Fur's Janice Leao and Izabella Rapacz in action
Columbus Fur's Janice Leao and Izabella Rapacz in action
(Grand Rapids Rise, Credit: Zechariah Bowie/Columbus Fury)

COLUMBUS - On Jan. 26, the Grand Rapids Rise made history with their first-ever reverse sweep victory, taking down the Columbus Fury in dramatic fashion. The Fury weren't going to let the Rise escape again with another win Friday night inside Nationwide Arena.

Columbus (1-7 overall) earned its first win of the season, outlasting Grand Rapids in a five-set marathon that lasted 2 hours and 49 minutes - the longest match in Rise history. The Fury won by set scores of 21-25, 25-21, 26-24, 22-25, 15-8. With the road defeat, the Rise dropped to 4-4 overall and saw their franchise record four-match winning streak come to an end.

The Fury were led offensively by Izabella Rapacz, who totaled 24 points with 23 kills on a .364 hitting percentage and a block. Meanwhile, Columbus' defense proved key, registering 87 digs and 14 blocks to hold Grand Rapids to a season-low .190 attack percentage. On the other side, Rise outside hitter Carli Snyder had a standout performance, posting a season-high 23 points with 20 kills on .383 hitting, 20 digs, two blocks, and her team-leading 10th ace of the season.

Rise opposite hitter Kaleigh Nelson made her long-awaited debut starting for Grand Rapids, stepping in for an injured Naya Shime. A third-year pro from Salem, Oregon, Nelson came out of retirement after last playing professionally in Sweden during the 2017-18 season and wasted no time making an impact on Friday, scoring the Rise's first point with a kill.

With the score tied at 7-7, Grand Rapids seized momentum with a 6-0 run. The surge featured kills from former PVF Players of the Week Erika Pritchard and Snyder, along with Nelson, plus an ace from setter August Raskie and a block by Ali Bastianelli. Columbus responded with a late 6-0 run of its own, narrowing the final deficit to four points, 25-21. Bastianelli sealed the opening set with an ace, her fourth of the season.

The momentum Columbus built at the end of the first set carried into the second. After the Rise took the opening point on a Fury attack error, Columbus responded with back-to-back kills from Rapacz and never looked back. The Fury quickly jumped out to an 8-4 lead, forcing an early Rise timeout, and extended their advantage to 17-7.

Fresh off the sidelines, Rise outside hitter Paige Briggs-Romine delivered an ace to pull Grand Rapids within four at 19-15. However, that was as close as the Rise would get, as Columbus hit .255 and avoided getting blocked at the net to claim the set, 25-21.

The Rise were limited to just five blocks in the match, a stark contrast to their league-leading average of 3.07 blocks per set entering the contest.

With the third set deadlocked at 13-13, former Fury libero Valeria León made her Rise debut, stepping in as a serving and defensive substitute. Rookie first-round draft pick Raven Colvin also entered the Grand Rapids rotation, providing a burst of energy in the middle of the court.

Back-to-back blocks from Snyder and Nelson in the third set propelled the Rise to a 21-16 lead, and Pritchard's 10th kill of the match pushed Grand Rapids to set point at 24-19.

Columbus responded with a stunning comeback, erasing five Rise set points. A kill from Raina Terry capped an improbable 7-0 Fury run, clinching a 26-24 set win and a 2-1 match lead. Despite hitting .059 with just nine kills, the Fury moved within one set of their first win.

Grand Rapids entered the match with a 2-0 record this season when trailing 2-1 after three sets, with five-set wins over Columbus (Jan. 26) and the Orlando Valkyries (Jan. 30). Determined to extend that streak and avoid playing their first four-set match of the season, the Rise offense came alive in the must-win fourth set, hitting .469 with 18 kills and just three attack errors on 32 swings. Snyder and Briggs-Romine were especially efficient, combining for 11 kills on 15 attempts (.733), leading Grand Rapids to a 25-22 win and forcing a final fifth set.

Briggs-Romine ended the match with nine kills (.240), four digs, and two aces in three sets. Bastianelli and Pritchard also recorded double-digit point totals, finishing with 10 apiece.

Heading to the finish line, the Fury unleashed another 7-0 run, turning a tied 8-8 score into a 15-8 win in the fifth set. Terry was instrumental for Columbus, notching three kills, seven digs, and a block in the final set alone.

Notes

The Fury picked up their first win since sweeping the Rise on Apr. 28, 2024, snapping a 12-match losing streak dating back to last season.

Grand Rapids finished with 85 digs, one shy of tying the team's single-match record. Four players reached double figures: Snyder (20), libero Elena Oglivie (16), Nelson (14), and Raskie (14).

Raskie finished with her seventh double-double of the season, racking up a season-high 53 assists and 14 digs. She also had two aces.

With former practice squad players Nelson and León seeing playing time for the Rise, all 15 players on the Grand Rapids roster have now appeared in a match this season.

Box Score

GR 25 21 24 25 8 - 2

CLB 21 25 26 22 15 - 3

Team Leaders

GR: Kills - Carli Snyder 20, Erika Pritchard 10, Paige Briggs-Romine 9; Assists - August Raskie 53, Elena Oglivie 3, Ali Bastianelli 3; Aces - Raskie 2, Briggs-Romine 2, Bastianelli 1, Snyder 1; Blocks - Bastianelli 2, Snyder 2, Nelson 1; Digs - Snyder 20, Oglivie 16, Nelson 14, Raskie 14.

CLB: Kills - Izabella Rapacz 23, Raina Terry 14, Megan Courtney Lush 5, Abby Walker 5; Assists - Wilma Rivera 38, Paula Cerame 3; Aces - Rivera 3, Terry 1; Blocks - Janice Leao 5, Walker 4, Terry 3; Digs - Terry 16, Cerame 15, Courtney Lush 14, Rapacz 14.

A - 2,952

Record / Next Match

Grand Rapids: 4-4 / Thu., Feb. 13 vs. Atlanta Vibe, 7 p.m.

Columbus: 1-7 / Wed., Feb. 12 vs. Orlando Valkyries, 7 p.m.




Images from this story

Columbus Fur's Janice Leao and Izabella Rapacz in action
Columbus Fur's Janice Leao and Izabella Rapacz in action
(Zechariah Bowie/Columbus Fury)		   

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