Grand Rapids journey from the cold winter to the sunny skies of Orlando did not go as planned as the Rise get swept. Orlando had great performances from Ambercrombie, Foster, and others, while the Rise just could not get going offensively in this one. They held Orlando to a .207 hitting percentage, but the Rise in turn only hit .161 as a team. In my estimation, the Rise have to find another source of offense to free up Snyder and Pritchard-- defenses are really keying in on those two players. Hopefully Shime returns soon, I will update on socials when I hear anything!

What do you think the Rise need to do to stop the slide? Let me know by writing the show embersnest@gmail.com, commenting on Reddit, Spotify, or Instagram, or perhaps sending a carrier pigeon to the next home match. Go Rise!

In this one the Rise and I are all out of sorts! The Rise cruise to victory in set 1 but cannot overcome Atlanta's adjustments and fall 3-1 to the Vibe. Meanwhile, I left all my notes and post game questions in the press box! When I sat down to record the podcast, I used the wrong mic! I fixed as much as possible but as a result I sound quite... interesting.

Can we call it method acting? I don't know, but join me in this one to break down this match against the Atlanta Vibe. Grand Rapids seems to really be missing Naya Shime despite what I view as good play from Kaleigh Nelson in relief. The rest of the team seems to need to find a way to elevate their own game in response. What do you think the Rise need to do going forward to get back in the win column? Write the show embersnest@gmail.com, comment on Reddit or Instagram, or perhaps send a carrier pigeon! Go Rise!

Ember's Nest is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Grand Rapids visited Columbus fresh off their four game winning streak and fell to the Fury, earning Columbus their first victory of the season, while the Rise fall to 4-4. The Rise were out blocked, out dug, and out hit in this 5 setter. The attack errors in sets 4 and 5 really stuck out to me as the nail in the coffin. Still, I may be blinded by fan optimism but I think Grand Rapids is more like the team that won 4 in a row than the team that dropped this one in Columbus. We'll find out when we play Atlanta at home on Thursday!

What did you think about this one? What are you looking for from the Rise against Atlanta to get back into the win column? Sound off on Spotify, Reddit, Instagram, or by writing the show embersnest@gmail.com.

Ember's Nest is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.