COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Columbus Fury (8-11) continued their dominant run on Sunday afternoon with a sweep of the Grand Rapids Rise (10-11). After a closely contested first set, 25-21, the Fury won sets two and three by a score of 25-15. Columbus has now won three consecutive matches and sit just one match out of the playoff race, and are only two wins behind Grand Rapids for third place.
Set One
Columbus made a statement early, jumping out to a 9-4 lead over the Rise. The Fury led by as many as nine points before Grand Rapids began to slowly chip away at the lead. The Rise were able to get within two points, 21-19, but the Fury held strong on their way to a 25-21 win. Kendall Kipp had seven kills in the set while Ray Santos dished out 15 assists on 16 total kills for Columbus.
Set Two
The Fury picked up where they left off and jumped out to a massive 9-1 lead forcing a Grand Rapids timeout. After that start, the Fury held at least a seven-point lead the rest of the way, winning the set 25-15. Megan Courtney Lush was a force in the set putting down six kills on seven swings. Kaitlyn Hord notched all three of her blocks in the set.
Set Three
The Fury never took their foot off the gas as they cruised to another 25-15 set win to earn the sweep and their first win over the Rise on the season. The team had just two hitting errors in the set with an attack percentage of 43%. Four players hit 50% or better in the set to close out the match.
Standout Stats
- Ray Santos had a phenomenal match, dishing out 40 assists to go along with 12 digs. Three different players had double-digit kills and both outside hitters hit over 40% for the match.
- Reagan Cooper had 12 kills on a 48% clip while Megan Courtney Lush tallied 11 kills with a 42% efficiency. Courtney Lush also had a double-double with 10 digs on the afternoon.
- Kendall Kipp led the team with 16 kills and added three blocks.
- The Fury had a huge defensive advantage in the match, outblocking the Rise 8-2 and outdigging them 55-37.
Up Next
The Fury are back on the road this week for a Thursday matchup in Atlanta. The team will then come back to Nationwide Arena where they will host the Omaha Supernovas on May 4 with the match airing on CBS Sports Network.
