Undefeated in their last six matches, the team from Orlando topped the Vegas Thrill and passed their opponents in the standings
Published 08:51, 23 Feb 2025
The Valkyries defeated the Thrill for the first time in the season (Photo: Pro Volleyball Federation)
The Orlando Valkyries delivered a strong performance in their direct battle with the Vegas Thrill in the seventh week of the regular season of the Pro Volleyball Federation League and moved up to second place in the standings.
The teams met on Thursday, at the Addition Financial Arena, in Florida, and the home side produced a dominant performance to claim the 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-17) victory and extend their winning streak in the tournament to six matches.
The result made the teams switch places in the American League standings as the Valkyries are now second, with eight wins and four losses, while the Thrill dropped to third, with seven wins and four losses. Both teams continue to trail league leaders and defending champions Omaha Supernovas, who got to eight wins and three losses with their 3-1 (22-25, 25-20, 25-16, 29-27) road victory over the San Diego Mojo, also on Thursday.
Puerto Rican national team opposite Brittany Abercrombie was pivotal in the Valkyries’ sweep of the Thrill as she led the team’s offense with 18 points (16 kills, one block, one ace). Outside hitter Courtney Schwan also got to double digits with 11 points (ten kills, one block), while Thai star setter Pornpun Guedpard tallied a double-double of 32 assists and ten digs – she also scored two points, with a kill and a block.
The victory was the first of the Floridians over the team from Nevada in the season after two losses in previous encounters.
“We’re a different team than the last time we played,” head coach Amy Pauly stated. “We continue to diversify our offense; we’ve seen our block and defense improve every time we take the floor. They have really taken ownership of who they are as a team, and it’s really been a mentality shift that the team has taken.”
The Thrill had outside hitter Hannah Maddux as their leading scorer with nine points (all in kills), followed by middle blocker Berkeley Oblad and outside hitter Camryn Hannah, with six each.
After dropping their first seven matches of the season, the Columbus Fury continued to improve their campaign this week, winning both matches they played and leaving the bottom of the standings behind. The Fury went on the road on Thursday and defeated the Grand Rapids Rise 3-2 (16-25, 27-25, 22-25, 25-22, 15-13). On Sunday, they returned home and topped the Atlanta Vibe 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-23).
The Vibe, on the other hand, had a difficult week as before dropping Sunday's road game in Ohio, they lost to the Indy Ignite 3-1 (16-25, 25-20, 25-11, 25-20) on Thursday, also playing as visitors.
After seven weeks of action, the Pro Volleyball Federation has the Supernovas (8-3) at the top, followed by the Valkyries (8-4), the Thrill (7-4), the Ignite (6-5), the Vibe (6-7), the Rise (4-7), the Fury (4-8) and the Mojo (3-8).
The eighth week of action will begin on Thursday and go until Sunday, with seven matches held in the period.
This weekend, the Pro Volleyball Federation also held its first-ever All-Star Game, with the biggest stars of the league reuniting in Indiana on Saturday for the festive match. The match ended with Team Shondell, coached by Purdue University volleyball coach Dave Shondell, beating Team Collier, coached by Georgia Tech’s Michelle Collier, 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 15-10).
Playing for Team Shondell, Supernovas’ star outside hitter Brooke Nuneviller was the match’s top scorer, with 13 points (11 kills, one block, one ace).
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