|
|
Guedpard, Luper Return to Starting Lineup
as
Valkyries Take Down Dallas in Four
DALLAS, Texas, February 27, 2026.- After missing Chompoo Guedpard for
the majority of February, the Valkyries welcomed her back to the
starting lineup Friday night, as the reigning 2025 Major League
Volleyball champions are starting to get healthier at the right
time, defeating the Dallas Pulse in four sets 3-1 (25-23, 20-25,
25-23, 25-20).
“She
means so much to this organization,” head coach Amy Pauly speaking
on behalf of Chompoo Guedpard. “The way she just carries herself, I
mean coming back from not playing since the beginning of the month,
and running the offense without missing a step speaks volumes to the
type of player and teammate she is. This was a big win for us, but
we’ve got a short turnaround and need to flip the page ahead of
Sunday against a really tough Grand Rapids team.”
Dallas, who entered the match fresh off a 3–0 sweep of Grand Rapids
and holding an 8–4 record entering tonight, has been the biggest
story in Major League Volleyball, racing out to an impressive start
in their inaugural season. Led by their number one overall pick in
Mimi Colyer, Dallas has been a force offensively, leading the league
in efficiency at .275.
Facing a tall task against the league’s leading offense, the
Valkyries were happy to have Chompoo Guedpard and Charitie Luper
back in the starting lineup together for the first time since
January 31. That duo alone provided an offensive spark the Valkyries
had desperately been searching for the entire month of February.
Chompoo’s leadership and expertise helped get the entire offense
back into a rhythm, with four Valkyries finishing with ten or more
kills (Naya Shime with 17, Charitie Luper with 15, Courtney Schwan
and Natalie Foster each with 11). Not only was the offense humming,
but the defense picked it up as well, holding Dallas to hit .233 as
a team, their second lowest efficiency of the season.
One
of the Valkyries biggest moments that set the tone early, was from
second year pro Natalie Foster, who got the start in place of Bre
Kelley. Trailing 18–23 late in the opening set, Foster stepped to
the service line and sparked a stunning turnaround. Behind her
league-best serve, Orlando would rattle off seven straight points to
complete a remarkable comeback and win the opening set 25–23.
Foster’s aggressive service pressure would overwhelm Dallas, forcing
them to play out of system as she added two more aces to her
league-leading total of 27.
Despite being out blocked by Dallas 14-5, Orlando’s adjustments, led
by Chompoo Guedpard, allowed them to find a solution. Guedpard’s
quick sets to Natalie Foster up the middle created one-on-one
advantages that Orlando continued to exploit throughout the night,
as Foster set a season-high 11 kills.
Following a quick trip to Dallas, the Valkyries(7-6) return home to
start a three-match homestand at Addition Financial Arena. First up
is Grand Rapids at 3 p.m. ET Sunday.
The
Dallas Pulse (8-5) travel to face the Atlanta Vibe on Sunday, March
1, at 2 p.m. CT at Gas South Arena. |
|