Orlando Valkyries VS Atlanta Vibe | SEMIFINAL HIGHLIGHTS | PVF 2025

Really good pass, particularly off of that serve. And a better read by Kaz Brown. Kaz Brown, fantastic eye work following that whole play, realizing Molly Montserrat's back row weights, gets in front of her middle attacker, and stuffs it. That's a good lesson for a lot of young players. Back row setter, you've got to know where Montserrat is. There's the serve from Natalie Foster. And that's the pace to space that works, and there's plenty of pace on that one. It's unbelievable. There are hybrids, and then there's this. There's that. The margin between wins and losses is very small. Yeah, you just look at one and loss, and you've got to dig a lot deeper into that. Look at that serve. Pretty well handled. Eiko Jones on a better block. Kaz Brown again, putting up big numbers in the blocking phase. Incredible start for Orlando. I talked about them statistically as a team. This isn't a category that they dominate in, but they have been so good, especially blocking the right side attack of Atlanta. Yeah, ready to launch an arrow. Tight. Good push by Schwan to keep the ball alive. But Crombie over the top. Taylor Head on the play defensively for Atlanta, wearing number one. Beautiful play by Shampoo. Amy Pauly said that Shampoo had to be at her best, and that's exactly what it shows you she can do. Shampoo is special. This ball's in her hands. Kaz Brown so dangerous. Two blockers for Atlanta. Jump on her. Nobody home on Brittany Abercrombie. Leah Edmond went, whoops. I'm supposed to be someplace. Oh, just out of bounds. But you're getting an idea of what Natalie Foster can do from the service line. Look at that. So close. Still set points coming the way of Orlando. Very similar to the opening set between Indy and Omaha. Here is Pia Timmer, fantastic player out of Germany and Washington State. Abercrombie for the win. Brittany Abercrombie off the top. So good production out of the middle offensively and defensively, and a perfect set to none in 20-16. Thanks, Madison. Michael Jones having a difficult time scoring. We might see Merritt Beeson very soon out of Florida and Nebraska, the number one overall draft pick by Atlanta. Nice block by Kaz Brown and a better play by Micaiah White. Boy, did Atlanta need that. Really aggressive swing, kind of a broken play, but Micaiah White just takes a big rip down the line, unafraid to take big swings against this Orlando team. Well, as we heard, don't be timid. Atlanta certainly doesn't want to fall behind two sets to none. Nice play by Schwan. Pence stretching out. Montserrat, I think, struggled a little bit with her location. That's going to be a really good block that time on the tight set by Leah Edmonds. Ball set tight to the net, and Leah Edmonds, one of those shutdown blockers on the left side, way over the net for the Atlanta vibe. Watch this ball go tight, and then just smothering the ball is Edmonds. Courtside seat. Well, of course the new Olympic coach gets a courtside seat. Abercrombie. Good set in transition. Edmonds, Kaz Brown again. Kaz Brown doing work. Obviously, she's there, but her left hand cutting off the angle of Leah Edmonds. This is her fifth block. Left hand way over. Technique on point. I'm looking at Orlando season numbers. They average 2.2 blocks per set. She's got 2.5 per set. Leah Edmonds coming right back at you. A much needed side out kill. Melanie Schaffmaster in for Orlando to provide a bigger block defensively. She will play across the front row. Schaffmaster out of Minnesota was a late add to the Orlando roster. Kaz Brown is dug. Chance for Aiko Jones. Good ball control again by Vandeweide. Mary Lewis. This is a roll of the dice by Amy Pollitt. I agree. The connection with Shampoo is so good. They've been playing with her all season long. Taylor Head has come on to serve. That was Vicini. Missed that one. Now Courtney Schwan back at the line. That was a big miss. It was starting to get a little nervous on the side of Orlando. Indy is waiting to see the opponent. That ball off the edge. One on one. That's Leah Edmonds. She's going to win that 99% of the time. Credit Marlee Montserrat for isolating Leah on that pin. Melanie Schaffmaster. Big blocker at 6'3". She is there, but hard to stop Leah Edmonds. As you said, one on one. Here is Aiko Jones trailing by only one. Tough serve. Very good out of system set. Vandeweide got a piece of the block. Good play by Vandeweide to get Orlando ahead in the point. By Montserrat. Really cut clutch play by Atlanta. Block touches that are deflections that allow your team to play it slowing down the attack. They've really been paying off. And then Leah working off Schaffmaster. Red zone tied at 22. Tough serve again. Handled by Scully. Abercrombie high off the inside hand of Lewis. Clutch kill that time by 6 and light blue. Two best serving teams. Tough serve. Lewis has got to step in. Leah Edmonds is starting to get very serious. Yeah. And the acceleration on that ball, the pace. Defense diving, but the pace on that ball from Edmonds too much. The lights going down a little bit early. They thought it was set point. It's tied at 23. Orlando has never trailed in this set. Foster no shampoo back on. And Doug, but out of bounds. And now the lights can go. It's set point for Orlando. They won the opening set 25-18. Very, very solid match so far in a handful of digs. Set point. Handled nicely by Edmonds. Micaiah White. Block touch by Foster. White again. Another touch. Can Abercrombie close it out? She can. Really good work. You talked about the size of the block in that particular rotation. Great point, Holly McPeak. And that really came to the fore. Block deflections and then closing it out to get the two sets to none. Side out score right now. Good play by Vanduweida. And good kill by Vicini Abercrombie. Struggling a little bit to terminate. Good swings. It's not like she's getting blocked. Let's go over to Madison. Offensively, the Valkyries have been struggling a little bit in this set. Much more so than set one and set two. So, Coach Amy Polley was saying, Middles, I need you to keep up the speed. Be up in transition. Outsides, I need you to get up, fast arm, put the ball away. It was all offensive-based. To that point, well done, Madison. Natalie Foster comes back quickly with the kill. And, Holly, you laid it out. Orlando plays their best when they're playing through the middle and right side. And you see Natalie Foster drive. And that's a one-on-one situation. Vicini, the only blocker in front of Foster. Nice pass by head. That was a very good serve. Mikaela White starting to feel it right now. She certainly is. And Orlando has not had an answer for her tonight. We'll have to look that one up. I know how to say it. I don't know how to spell it. Edmond going the conservative route. But when you're up six, why not? Abercrombie. Coming to Schwan. Good block touch, this time by Iko Jones. Really difficult for both of these teams to terminate. Nice read by White. Morgan Hintz is really setting some beautiful balls. As is Shampoo. And finally, Schwan, number four in light blue, puts the ball away. Excellent rally on both sides. Fantastic defense. Both sides of the court, Shampoo. Look at this one-armed salve by van der Weide. And then Shampoo pushes it all the way to the left. That's against Leah Edmond. I like that salve. And Corey Lewis hits the slick. The slow, quick, just hang it up there about ten feet. I don't know, ten feet, six inches. Well, she can touch 11. So put it up there. Let her go get it. There you go. Six set points now for Atlanta to get on the board. Workable set that time for Micaiah White. That ripped by Edmond. And Schwan is roofed at Atlanta. To win the third set to stay alive for the match for a million, and they do in emphatic fashion. Olympic team coach Eric Sullivan, who's sitting courtside. Melanie Schaffmaster is back on to add some blocking. Look at that unforced error between the two outside hitters. What is it you say about the seam? Pace to space. That's it. Pace to space. Yeah, well, it was space between the two passers. I love it. This is getting away. Atlanta needs to put on the brakes right now. Oh, that was close. That was really close, but just over the end line. Where did she find the room for that? All day long, that connection, Shampoo to Abercrombie. That time from the middle of the court. Boy, that is a difficult swing and did not see that coming. That's the experience of those two playing together and being creative in the practice gym. 21-13. Lewis forced into reception. Still alive. Free ball coming. Foster's got to step in first contact. Abercrombie with one blocker, or one and a half. Lindsey Vandeweide with basically no approach. And look at this, another upset. Just three points away. How about Lindsey Vandeweide? Gets her feet under her, but not a big approach. 5-1 run now for Shampoo. Atlanta in real jeopardy. And Corey Lewis hitting off the right side. Vandeweide, not yet. Looking for the edge. Perfect set in transition. And that off the block and out of bounds. Certainly looks like it right now. Good dig by Beeson. Good off speed. There's Micaiah White. Very cerebral. Micaiah White attacking Natalie Foster, the blocker in the middle of the court. You're right, heads up play. Time out. Very composed on the sideline. Crushed by Foster. Let's quickly go over to Madison as this one winds down. You know what's so great about that play? It's exactly what Amy Pauly just said. She said, I just want us focused on the pass. I want you guys to give Shampoo all of her options open. Her options were open. She goes through the middle. Two points away on the overpass now. Max points and a lot of them. 24-15. Vandeweide has been rock solid. Working on Taylor Head. Ball set a little bit tight. And that off the edge. Micaiah White. Yeah. Micaiah White did a good job of avoiding any contact. Yeah, she wants to protect herself along with her opponents. Match point number two. Orlando at 18-10, the number three seed. So now we're looking at the three and four seeds getting into the championship match. One more play for the Valkyries. And Abercrombie, Brittany Abercrombie gets it done. Very, very solid performance when the opening set.