By Annie Walker

3 3 2024

ORLANDO—The Columbus Fury are on a roll as they moved to 4-2 on the season with their fourth-consecutive win. The last time Columbus faced the Valkyries, they took the first set but were unable to bring home a win, falling in four sets. The Fury earned another first set win and went on to trade sets with Orlando for their first five-set match of the season. The Valkyries got out to a dominant start in set five, but the Fury battled back to earn the 17-15 win, pushing their winning streak to four.

Set 1

The Fury opened up the match 3-0 behind kills from Samantha Drechsel and Reagan Cooper and pushed their lead to 7-2 forcing the Valkyries timeout. Rainelle Jones recorded the first ace of the match for the Fury, pushing the lead to 20-13 and forcing a second timeout from Orlando. Columbus closed out the set 25-17 behind a near-perfect performance from Ray Santos. Santos dished out 15 assists with four different hitters totaling three or more kills.

Set 2

Set two was competitive throughout with no team leading by more than two until late in the set. The Valkyries made plays late to get separation. After a lights out first set, the Fury totaled just nine kills in the second but kept the score close. Orlando led 21-20 and closed out the set on a 4-1 run to even the match at 1-1.

Set 3

Set three was a marathon with neither team able to build much of a lead. The Fury held a four-point lead on two occasions but each time the Valkyries were able to get back within a point. Columbus was the first team to have a set point at 24-23, and each team had three set point opportunities with the Fury coming out on top on an ace from Drechsel.

Set 4

Orlando would not lie down easily, as they built a quick 7-4 lead to start the set. The Fury were able to tie the set at 7-7 and kept it close for the next few points. Columbus’ serve receive struggled over the next few points and Orlando was able to build a 19-12 lead. Rainelle Jones helped get the Fury back into the set with a back-to-back block and kill that cut the Valkyries lead to three, 21-18. Orlando closed out the set 25-21 to send the Fury to the fifth set for the first time this season.

Set 5

Orlando carried their momentum over from the fourth set and jumped out to the early 7-3 lead, forcing a timeout from coach Pérez. Cooper went back to the service line with the Fury down 8-4 and started her service run with an ace. The team went on to tie the set at 8-all behind a kill from Drechsel and a block from Megan Courtney Lush. Cooper put the team up 14-12 on a kill, but the Valkyries came back to send the set to extra points. Lush would close out the match with a kill that just touched the line to give the Fury the set and match.

Standout Stats

• Reagan Cooper continued her dominance with a 29-kill effort, tying the league-high for kills in a set for the season. She also had a season-high for digs with 16.
• Valeria Léon had a team-high 24 digs which also marks the highes dig total for any member of the Fury this season.
• Ray Santos put up 15 assists in the first set alone and totaled 59 for the match to go along with 10 digs and three kills.
• Rainelle Jones had a season-best 12 kills, her first outing in double-figure kills, and had a match-high five blocks.

Up Next

The Fury will be back in action on the road in Grand Rapids on Saturday, March 9, at 12 p.m. The match will be streamed on YouTube.

ABOUT THE COLUMBUS FURY