Rise Playoff Push Continues With Another

Upset Win Over League-Leading Ignite

GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan, April 17, 2026.-  For the second time this season, the Grand Rapids Rise knocked off the league-leading Indy Ignite in four sets inside Van Andel Arena. The Rise became the first Major League Volleyball team to defeat Indy (18-5) twice this season in four sets or fewer, snapping the Ignite’s three-match winning streak while securing their first three-match win streak of the year.

Similar to their first win over the Ignite this season on March 25, the Rise fell in the opening set but recovered to claim the match by scores of 18-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-23. Grand Rapids improved to 10-14 overall and evened its home record at 6-6.

Following Friday night’s league results, the Rise moved into sixth place in the MLV standings after passing the Atlanta Vibe (9-14), who were swept by the third-place San Diego Mojo (12-11). The Omaha Supernovas currently hold the fourth and final playoff position at 12-13, just ahead of the Orlando Valkyries (10-13) and Grand Rapids.

Seeking to avenge its recent loss to the Rise, Indy opened Friday’s match in control, hitting .343 as a team in a 25-18 first-set win. Opposite hitter Azhani Tealer led the Ignite with six early kills and finished with a match-high 24 kills (.429), adding 10 digs, a block, and an ace.

Rise outside hitter Carli Snyder helped shift momentum in the second set, recording her fifth kill on just her 10th swing to convert the first point of the frame. Snyder later connected off a bump assist from former Florida teammate Rhamat Alhassan to extend the lead to 7-4. The Rise sided out at a match-high 81% in the frame, maintaining roughly a three-point separation before closing out a 25-20 win while hitting .467 as a team.

Snyder and opposite hitter Elizabet Inneh each posted five kills in the second set as Grand Rapids evened the match. Emerging as a go-to scorer, Inneh led the Rise offensively with 19 kills (.289), nine digs, and an ace for the affair.

Grand Rapids seized control early in the third set, scoring six of the first seven points behind consecutive blocks from Alyssa Jensen and two kills from Paige Briggs-Romine. Another kill from Briggs-Romine extended the Grand Rapids lead to 16-13 at the media timeout, but Indy responded with a 4-0 run to tie the set at 22-22 after trailing 22-18.

The Rise turned again to their Florida connection, as Alhassan and Snyder delivered back-to-back kills to reach set point. After a kill from Indy’s Leketor Member-Meneh, Snyder closed the set with another spike at 25-23 to give Grand Rapids its first lead of the night.

The fourth set featured multiple momentum swings. Grand Rapids erased early three-point deficits at 6-3 and 11-8 before consecutive blocks from Jensen tied the score at 15-15. Jensen finished with a match-high five blocks, pushing her season total to 50 and marking her fifth match this year with at least five blocks. The Rise outblocked Indy 10-5 for their 16th match this season reaching double-digit blocks and ninth in the last 10 contests.

Grand Rapids created slight separation twice late in the fourth set, first on a setter dump kill from Camryn Turner at 17-15 and again on a Snyder swing at 19-17. Yet, Indy answered again, tying the set at 22-22 and 23-23.

Despite entering the match just 9-18 in two-point sets, the Rise closed strong behind the play of their middle blockers. Alhassan delivered her 11th kill before Jensen’s fifth block sealed a second straight 25-23 set-win to claim the match, 3-1.

Indy entered the contest holding opponents to a league-best .199 hitting percentage, but Grand Rapids hit .305 in the victory — the second-highest mark in franchise history and just the fourth .300-plus team hitting performance in team history.

Alhassan led all attackers in efficiency, hitting .550 with 11 kills on 20 error-free swings, while Snyder added 17 kills on 39 attempts (.359). Alhassan’s .550 hitting percentage ranks as the second-highest single-match mark in Rise history among players with at least 20 attack attempts, trailing only former middle blocker Marin Grote, who hit .650 on May 4, 2024, against the San Diego Mojo — now her current team.

On Sunday, April 19,  Grand Rapids (10-14) plays at Columbus Fury, 7 p.m. While Indy (18-5), who has already clinched one of the top two seeds in the four-team MLV Championship that runs May 7-9, could take a major step toward securing the No. 1 seed with a win Sunday over Dallas at 6 p.m.