Ember's Nest

Breaking News on Coaching Search

Hey there Rise faithful, I just HAD to produce a podcast as the Rise announce that Cathy George is not returning as head coach and is transitioning to a front office role

Eliminated: The Offseason Looms

The Grand Rapids Rise fell 2-3 to the Orlando Valkyries in their home finale and were eliminated from the playoffs later in the weekend. It's frustrating that a team play

Playoff Scenarios and Team Performance: A Blitz!

The description should be short because so is the episode! The Rise would not be eliminated with a loss tomorrow but they need the win as far as this podcast is concerned

The Power of The Walking Taco

This episode has it all: Listener thoughts and feedback, volleyball terminology, match recaps, controversial selections for best food at the arena, and analysis on the Ri

Your Guide to A Rise Game as The Slide Continues

I sat everywhere there was to sit in Van Andel to let you know where the best and worst places are to take in a Grand Rapids Rise game! Unfortunately, though the team is

Still Locked In?

The Rise pull off a 3-1 stretch to make things slightly more interesting, but even if they continue at that pace, will it be enough? Listen to hear my thoughts about a 3r

Up and Down

We're two games into the Morgan Hentz tenure on the Grand Rapids Rise, and we've got two lopsided results: on the front end there's a Rise sweep over Atlanta just a day a

EMERGENCY POD: Rise Trade Oglivie, 1st round pick for Morgan Hentz

The biggest trade of the season just took place, The Grand Rapids Rise traded standout Libero Elena Oglivie and their 1st round selection for 2026 to the Omaha Supernovas

The Rise Fall to Orlando and Omaha, Plus a State of the League Address

The Rise fall to Orlando by a more convincing margin than the first time and then follow it up with a Carli Snyder-less loss to Omaha. The postgame press conference was q

Back on Track: The Rise win in San Diego

The Rise even up their season record at 2-2 after starting 0-2. The've proved that they can win in a multitude of ways, both spreading out the offense and concentrating t

The New Look Rise fall 3-2 In the Season Opener

The Rise returned with players both new and familiar as the 2026 MLV season opened. Despite some back and forth action and strategic substitutions, Grand Rapids dropped t

Air Pressure: An Interview with Katie Olson

Hey there Rise fans! I was really excited to record this episode as Katie was such a fantastic guest. In this episode we dive into Katie's journey from a standout volleyb

A New Beginning in MLV

Season 3 of the Rise has begun in Major League Volleyball (MLV). After a tumultuous offseason Omaha is back in the fold, Dallas is the new kid on the block, and Vegas is

Tears, The Off-season, and the Importance of Two Year Contracts

The Rise concluded their second season in emotional fashion, and I tried my hardest to find out what players and coaches are thinking about next season. I also get on my

Eliminated: Who's Back Next Season?

Grand Rapids's slow starts continued, and this time it was fatal. The Rise fought hard to complete the reverse sweep but couldn't make it happen. That loss, plus the Indy

The Rise Keep the Hope Alive + A Big Announcement

Against the Ignite the Rise win to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Rise are 1.5 games back with 3 to play while Indy drops their 4th straight. Newcomer Holthaus provi

Overseas Reinforcements

Eleanor Holthaus made her impact immediately felt against Vegas after only joining the team earlier in the week from Germany! She was second on the team in points in a do

Rise Split the Weekend 1-1, and the Detective Hunt for Shime

The Rise playoff hopes grow dimmer as they prevail in an exciting 3-2 match against Columbus, but then fall 3-1 to the Supernovas on the road. If that wasn't enough to di

Low on Time

The Grand Rapids Rise drop their latest match to the Vegas Thrill and have fallen out of the playoff race. If they want to get back into it, they've got to start winning

Falling Out of Contention

Grand Rapids drops the first two games of their 4 game home stand in entirely different ways. A great defensive performance but sub par offense spelled doom against Atlan