Orlando Valkyries outside hitter Charitie Luper attempts a kill against the Grand Rapids Rise on Thursday at Van Andel Arena.
Courtesy of the Orlando Valkyries
The Orlando Valkyries swept the Grand Rapids Rise 3-0 on Thursday night at Van Andel Arena, sealing the road win with an extended, high-point third set that stretched well beyond the standard set score.
Assistant coach Blake Omartian led the Valkyries in place of head coach Amy Pauly, who was unavailable for personal reasons.
Thursday’s match marked the second meeting between the teams this year, after Orlando won the opener against Grand Rapids.
The win also established new Major League Volleyball three-set records, with Orlando totaling 68 points, 58 kills and 57 assists, according to the MLV.
Key middle blocker Kaz Brown was available but did not see action for the match as Orlando experimented with different lineup combinations.
From the first serve to the final point, the match stayed tight. Every set remained within a few points, and neither side built more than a three-point lead. Those narrow margins produced long rallies and repeated momentum swings throughout the night.
Orlando edged out the opening set 25-23 behind early offense from outside hitter Brittany Abercrombie, who scored the Valkyries’ first point on an attack and later closed the set with the winner.Â
In the opening set, the Rise gave away valuable points with multiple service errors, while Valkyries’ middle blocker Natalie Foster, the league leader in aces per set, recorded both of the match’s only service aces, including a late one that helped Orlando gain the edge.
Set two followed a similar pattern, with Grand Rapids holding a slim lead through much of the middle stretch before Orlando pushed back late. The Valkyries flipped the score at 21-20 and closed out a tight 27-25 finish, putting the Rise on the brink of a sweep.
The match reached its most dramatic point in the third and final set, as the score pushed well beyond the usual 25-point mark and neither team could break away. Grand Rapids chased the score, but the Valkyries continued to respond and did not let the set slip.
Abercrombie produced several clutch attacks during the extended stretch to keep the Valkyries in front, and Orlando closed it out 31-29 to complete the sweep.
She finished with 22 kills and 23 total points while posting a .465 hitting efficiency across 43 attack attempts, while fellow outside hitter Charitie Luper added a strong all-around performance with efficient attacking, 16 digs and a block.
Orlando finished with a team hitting efficiency of .358, while the Rise posted a .304 mark. Grand Rapids outside hitter Paige Briggs-Romine led its side with 17 kills.
After ending their two-match slide, the Valkyries return to the road Saturday night to face the Columbus Fury at the Nationwide Arena.