Fury fall to Grand Rapids in exciting match
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
By Kevin Rouch
krouch@cbussports.com
The Fury’s Asjia O’Neal goes up for the kill against the Grand Rapids Rise at Nationwide Arena Mar. 20. Photo: Kevin Rouch
The Columbus Fury played the second match of a three-match homestand Wednesday against the Grand Rapids Rise. After falling in the first two sets, the Fury bounced back and won the third set.
The fourth set was one of the most exciting in the Fury’s nine games so far this season. They had three set points but couldn’t convert. The Rise did convert on their fourth try, winning 32-30 to clinch the match.
Columbus was at a disadvantage because their starting setter Raymariely Santos was injured during practice Tuesday. Tori Stringer, newly acquired from Atlanta in a trade, was forced to step in. Stringer, the daughter of former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer, had played for Fury head coach Ángel Pérez in Puerto Rico.
“It’s tough when your quarterback goes down,” said Fury head coach Ángel Pérez, “especially when you have a new quarterback who arrived just 48 hours before.”
Back into the starting lineup was the PVF’s first overall draft selection, Asjia O’Neal, who had injured her ankle in her first game with the Fury. O’Neal had not seen action since Mid-February. “It felt really good to be back out,” noted O’Neal. “Having to sit on the sidelines is really hard to do.”
Rainelle Jones (left) and Reagan Cooper of the Columbus Fury go for the block against Grand Rapids’ Emiliya Dimitrova during their match at Nationwide Arena Mar. 20. Photo: Kevin Rouch
Pérez acknowledged that the Fury were two teams Wednesday, the team that lost the first two sets of the match and the team that stormed back to win the third and came close to taking the fourth set.
“I thought we lacked a lot of intensity and aggressiveness at the beginning of the game,” Pérez observed. “We fought that third set. If we would have taken that [fourth] set, probably the story would have been different.”
He noted that the main reason for their three straight losses, after winning four matches in a row, was that their receiving of serves was not as good as it could be, making it difficult for their setters to put their hitters in the right positions.
“Our attack efficiency has been down after those four games that we had,” said Pérez. “Why? Possibly because our reception has not been great and other teams have a better solution for our offense.”
“We believe we that have the best middles in the league. We don’t use them enough because our reception is not stable enough. When we are, we’re great. When we’re not, we tend to struggle because we don’t have the heavy arms to finish the points on the outside.”
Columbus libero Valeria Leon digs a Grand Rapids’ serve during the Fury’s match with the Rise at Nationwide Arena Mar. 20. Photo: Kevin Rouch
The Fury will regroup before hosting the Atlanta Vibe Sunday at Nationwide. The Vibe, who have won four straight, are the top team in the PVF with a record of 8-3.
Key stats –
- Stringer totaled 49 assists and 12 digs. She also added three kills and a block on the night.
- Megan Courtney Lush led the attack for Columbus with 14 kills and added 12 digs for her third double-double of the season.
- O’Neal totaled 13 kills in the match as well as a block and an ace.
- Samantha Drechsel notched her first double-double of the season with 11 kills and 16 digs, both season-highs.
- In just one set of action, Kaitlyn Hord tallied three kills on eight swings and added three blocks.
The Fury’s Megan Courtney Lush serves to Grand Rapids during their match at Nationwide Arena Mar. 20. Photo: Kevin Rouch