Valkyries Fall in Atlanta Despite Foster's Strong Night
MLV Orlando Valkyries

Valkyries Fall in Atlanta Despite Foster's Strong Night

Published on March 19, 2026 under Major League Volleyball (MLV)
Orlando Valkyries News Release


ATLANTA, Ga. - Following a sweep over the San Diego Mojo at home, the Valkyries dropped a three-set loss to the Atlanta Vibe Thursday night, with set scores of 22-25, 16-25, 20-25.

After a much improved .254 hitting percentage against San Diego, the Valkyries saw their offensive production drop to .204 tonight, a number that has been their target number as of late. Coming into tonight's match, Orlando was 8-1 this season when hitting above .200. Natalie Foster led the way with 15 points, adding four more aces to bring her season total to 41.

Despite Foster's standout performance, Atlanta's production from the pins, combined with several extended scoring runs, proved difficult for Orlando to counter.

Orlando built momentum early in each of the first two sets but couldn't hold off Atlanta's surges. In the opening set, the Valkyries jumped out to a 15-11 lead before Atlanta responded with a 6-0 run to take control at 17-15. Atlanta maintained that lead down the stretch, closing out the set 25-22. Set two would follow a similar script. Orlando came out firing with a 5-0 run, but Atlanta quickly flipped the momentum, outscoring the Valkyries 25-11 the rest of the way. During that stretch, with the Valkyries trailing 17-14, Amy Pauly turned to Brittany Abercrombie off the bench. Abercrombie made her first appearance after missing 11 consecutive matches, returning to action for the first time since January 31 due to a leg injury.

Atlanta's Leah Edmond and Aiko Jones combined for 41 points, as the two All-Stars both hit above .350. Edmond finished the match with 22 points, 17 kills, 3 aces and hit .351. Aiko Jones finished the match with 19 points, 14 kills, one ace and hit .371.

Orlando (9-10) will turn their focus to Tuesday, March 24 as they look to end the road trip on a high note before the All-Star break, as they travel to face the Columbus Fury (3-13) at 7:00 pm.

Notes:

Natalie Foster finished with four aces, improving her league leading total to 41

Brittany Abercrombie made her return after being out since January 31

Next Match: Orlando Valkyries (9-10) at Columbus Fury (3-13) | Thursday, March 24, 7:00 p.m. ET | Nationwide Arena| Youtube Channel |

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Major League Volleyball Stories from March 19, 2026


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