The teams will have key matches over the next days, starting with their Thursday encounter
Published 03:00, 11 Feb 2025
The first match between the teams, last month, ended with the Rise triumphing in straight sets (Photo: Atlanta Vibe)
Currently in the middle of the pack of the 2025 Pro Volleyball Federation standings, the Atlanta Vibe and the Grand Rapids Rise will have an important week in the tournament.
The teams, which are both coming from defeats and will meet on Thursday, at 19:00 local time (00:00 GMT, Friday), in Michigan, are set to play twice in the next few days, having the ability to improve their positions in the rankings.
The hosts of Thursday’s encounter, the Rise appear in fifth place in the standings, with four wins and four losses. After a difficult start, the team from Michigan seemed to have turned its season around with four consecutive victories, but had an unexpected defeat to last-placed Columbus Fury last Friday, and saw their push to climb the standings suffer a blow.
This week, they host the Vibe on Thursday and then will have another key match on Saturday, at 19:00 local time (00:00 GMT, Sunday), facing the Orlando Valkyries, who appear in third place with five wins and four losses, in Florida. With victories in both matches and other results helping, the Rise could get to as high as second place in the standings.
The team’s leading scorer with 112 points and the league’s third-best server with ten aces, outside hitter Carli Snyder is a key player for the Rise. Besides her, the team also needs great production from middle blocker Ali Bastianelli, the third-best blocker in the league with 21 stops, and outside hitter Erika Pritchard, who led the team in their four-match winning streak, to have a strong week.
The Vibe had a tough fifth week in the Pro Volleyball Federation, losing not once, but twice and getting to three matches without a win. The lack of positive results made the team drop a few spots, going down to sixth, with four wins and five losses.
As the Rise, the team from Georgia will have a second match to play over the weekend and it’s going to be a huge one as they return home to face a direct opponent, the Indy Ignite, who are above them in fouth place with a campaign of four wins and four losses.
The third-best scorer in the 2025 Pro Volleyball Federation season with 156 points, outside hitter Leah Edmond has been a force to the team at the net – she’s also second in aces, with 17, and fourth in blocks, with 21. On the backcourt, Morgan Hentz has been confirming her condition as the league’s best libero with a tournament-high 163 digs.
The two teams have already met in the current Pro Volleyball Federation season, with the Rise producing a three-set victory in Atlanta on January 19.
The sixth week of action in the second Pro Volleyball Federation season will start earlier, on Wednesday, when the Fury and the Valkyries meet in Columbus at 19:00 local time (00:00 GMT, Thursday).
On Thursday, besides the duel between the Rise and the Vibe, there will also be an encounter between the Ignite and the San Diego Mojo, in Indiana, at 19:00 local time (00:00 GMT, Friday).
The team from California will return to action on Sunday, on the road, against the Omaha Supernovas, at 15:00 local time (20:00 GMT). The schedule will be completed on Monday, when the Fury will be at home again, this time against league leaders Vegas Thrill, at 18:00 local time (23:00 GMT).
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