GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan, February 14, 2026.- Having arrived in Grand Rapids less than 24 hours ago, the newest Rise acquisition Morgan Hentz helped spark a much-needed turnaround as the Rise snapped a five-match losing streak with a 3-0 win over the Atlanta Vibe on Saturday night at Van Andel Arena.
The sweep, the first for Grand Rapids this season, avenged a 3-0 loss to the Vibe on Jan. 11 in Atlanta. The Rise won by set scores of 25-12, 28-26, 25-22.
The energy inside Van Andel Arena was electric from the opening serve as Grand Rapids raced out to a 7-1 lead in the first set, fueled by a pair of aces from team captain Carli Snyder and a couple of diving highlight-reel digs by Hentz.
Snyder delivered nine kills, raising her career total to 435 and becoming the franchise’s all-time leader in kills, surpassing Claire Chaussee’s previous mark of 429 for the most in a Rise uniform.
In Hentz’s first set with the team, the Rise recorded the largest set victory in franchise history with a 25-12 win, surpassing the previous 25-13 fourth-set victory over the Orlando Valkyries on April 18, 2024. Grand Rapids hit .481 in the frame, its best single-set percentage of the season, while holding Atlanta to a .077 mark.
The second set proved tighter, but the Rise executed in the decisive moments. After fighting off momentum swings on both sides, Grand Rapids needed three set points before closing out the 28-26 win. The middle blockers took control late, as Rhamat Alhassan recorded a kill before Leah Meyer sealed the set with a block.
Alhassan finished with nine kills on 14 swings with just two errors for a .500 hitting percentage. She added a team-high three blocks, marking her sixth match this season with three or more rejections. Meyer chipped in with four kills and two blocks.
It marked only the second time in 10 opportunities this season that the Rise won a set by the minimum two-point margin.
Atlanta jumped ahead 6-2 in the third set in an effort to extend the match, but the Rise responded. Grand Rapids pulled even at 12-12 following a pair of kills from Paige Briggs-Romine, including a rally that featured both Alhassan and Meyer showing off their setting skills before Briggs-Romine terminated the point. An ace that clipped the top of the net from Briggs-Romine gave the Rise a 14-13 advantage. Briggs-Romine finished with a match-high 14 points.
After the teams were tied at 20-20, Grand Rapids used a timeout to regroup and then scored four of the next five points to reach match point.
Celebrations briefly began after what appeared to be a match-winning block, but an Atlanta challenge revealed a net violation and extended the contest. On the next lengthy rally, the Rise ended it for good on a setter kill from Saige Kaʻahaʻaina-Torres. She finished with a match-high 34 assists, 11 digs, two blocks, and two kills.
Grand Rapids held advantages in kills (44-37), blocks (9-5), digs (56-50), assists (38-36), and committed fewer service errors (8-13). The 37 kills marked a season low for Atlanta.
Grand Rapids will play at Dallas Pulse on Sunday February 22 at 3 p.m. while Atlanta face Columbus Fury on February 19 at 7 p.m.
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