Columbus Fury sweep Grand Rapids to extend winning streak to three matches
The Columbus Fury are currently in the midst of something they haven't experienced since early March, a winning streak. Columbus increased its winning streak to three straight matches with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-15, 25-15) sweep over the Grand Rapids Rise. The victory breathes life into the Fury's playoff aspirations as the club sits one match out of the coveted fourth spot in the playoff race and two matches behind the Rise in third place.
SET ONE
Columbus began the match on the front foot, jumping out to a 9-4 advantage and getting the crowd into the mix early. Opposite hitter Kendall Kipp was a catalyst for the Fury in the opening set, racking up seven kills and registering nine points. Kipp and setter Raymariely Santos demonstrated great chemistry throughout the opening set. Santos registered 15 of her game-high 39 assists in the first set alone.
The hosts led by as many as nine points before the Rise began to chip away at the lead. The visitors got within as close as two points before Columbus held steadfast and claimed the 25-21 win.
SET TWO
The Fury jumped out to a commanding 9-1 advantage, forcing Grand Rapids to take a time out in hopes of stopping the momentum. Unfortuantely for Grand Rapids, the timeout wasn't effective as Columbus maintained a seven point advantage throughout the set to collect a 25-15 win. Fury captain and outside hitter Megan Courtney-Lush influenced this set putting down six kills in seven attempts. Fans were also treated to a show at the net as collected all three of her blocks in the middle frame.
SET THREE
Columbus remained determined to capture its first sweep since a February 24th sweep that came at the hands of the Las Vegas Thrill. The Fury cruised to a second consecutive 25-15 set win, notching the first victory against the Rise this season and giving Columbus momentum heading into another week of play.
"I feel disrespected..."
Columbus head coach Ángel Pérez revealed in his postgame press conference behind the scenes drama between Columbus and Grand Rapids that didn't play out in the public eye. Fielding a question about the absence of Rise star Emiliya Dimitrova and how it may have helped the Fury captured the victory, he revealed that Grand Rapids arrived late to Columbus on Saturday night and opted to skip last night's training session as well as Sunday morning's practice. He viewed as a sign of disrespect toward himself and toward the Fury.
“I don’t care. They could have (Emiliya) Dimitrova, whoever they have there. We’ve had our troubles also," Perez said. "What I do care is that they didn’t respect us. That team came last night, didn’t practice. That team didn’t practice this morning. They thought they were going to come here and beat us again like they’ve done before and we were ready.
Team sports are like this. What if Dimitrova can’t play the rest of the game? Or the year? We had a season-ending injury of one of our players, who’s next up? I’m not a fan of excuses. I’ve taken a lot of defeats here without my full team and I always give to the other team. So if Dimitrova is not ready, whoever needs to pick up the slack for her needs to do a better job."
STANDOUT STATS
- 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, out-blocking the Rise 8-2 and out-digging them 55-37.
UP NEXT
The Fury travels Atlanta for a Thursday night matchup against the Vibe. First serve is scheduled for 7 PM.