Kelsey Bibik
Atlanta Vibe Pro Volleyball
Director of Public Relations, Branding and Social Media
The Atlanta Vibe (17-5) pulled out a four-set win over the Orlando Valkyries (7-12) on Sunday afternoon, putting on a show for the team’s first nationally-televised match of the season. Atlanta claims their eighth win in their last nine matches, a streak they’ll look to maintain heading into their final two matches of the 2024 regular season.
The win helps the Vibe remain at the top of the Pro Volleyball Federation standings after the team already clinched a postseason spot last week, which is set to begin May 15 in Omaha, Nebraska. With Sunday’s win, the Vibe finish the 2024 regular season 4-0 against Orlando, picking up two five-set wins, a sweep and now a four-setter over the Valkyries this year.
Sunday’s matchup looked no different than the first three in the series, as Orlando and Atlanta fought back-and-forth and stayed within a few points of each other through the first three sets. The Vibe edged out wins in the first two frames, but the Valkyries slowed them enough at the end of the third set to hold off a sweep. Atlanta came into the fourth set applying pressure to gain their largest lead in the match over the home team, which was enough to finish them off and leave Florida with a win.
A balanced offensive effort saw the Vibe’s heavy hitters split the attack duties, led by opposite Anna Lazareva who finished with 27 kills on 53 attacks, who was followed by outside hitters Leah Edmond and Leketor Member-Meneh with 14 and 11 kills, respectively. Lazareva returned from a two-match rest period without missing a beat, adding 13 digs to make it a double-double and leading the Vibe with three blocks.
Setter Marlie Monserez finished the match with 55 assists and 13 digs in her home state, her 13th double-double and third 50-assist match this season. The X-factor in the Vibe’s defensive effort, libero Morgan Hentz, picked up 23 digs for her third 20-dig match in a row and her sixth of the year.
The Vibe now return home to host the Vegas Thrill on Sunday, April 28 at 2:00 p.m. on CBS Sports Network once again for the Vibe’s Faith + Family Day. Start early with the Vibe on Sunday afternoon for a pre-match tailgate on the Gas South Arena lawn beginning at 12:30 p.m. Tickets for the Vibe’s two final home matches are available at AtlantaVibe.com.
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