The Rise fall to Orlando by a more convincing margin than the first time and then follow it up with a Carli Snyder-less loss to Omaha. The postgame press conference was quite interesting and seemed to indicate to me that the team may not be firing on all cylinders. Am I making something out of nothing, or is there more to do, even when Carli Snyder returns to the lineup?

Get months FREE with Surfshark: ⁠⁠⁠https://surfshark.club/friend/fFP9U5Sh⁠⁠⁠

Sign up with Rakuten (it's always free) and get money off the things you were buying anyway: ⁠⁠⁠www.rakuten.com/r/EDWARD22078?eeid=28187⁠⁠⁠

Let me know what you think on Reddit, Instagram, Spotify, or by writing the show at embersnest@gmail.com. The Ember's Nest Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Rise even up their season record at 2-2 after starting 0-2. The've proved that they can win in a multitude of ways, both spreading out the offense and concentrating the offensive power. What do you think about the Rise's start to the season and fresh win against San Diego?

NOTE: I know the audio is not as good as usual here. This will be fixed by next episode.

Get months FREE with Surfshark: ⁠⁠https://surfshark.club/friend/fFP9U5Sh⁠⁠

Sign up with Rakuten (it's always free) and get money off the things you were buying anyway: ⁠⁠www.rakuten.com/r/EDWARD22078?eeid=28187⁠⁠

Let me know what you think on Reddit, Instagram, Spotify, or by writing the show at embersnest@gmail.com. The Ember's Nest Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Rise returned with players both new and familiar as the 2026 MLV season opened. Despite some back and forth action and strategic substitutions, Grand Rapids dropped the season opener to the defending champion Valkyries 3-2. What do you think of the Rise performance? Listen to hear my thoughts, but in short I wasn't going to overreact to a 1-0 or an 0-1 start. It will be interesting to see how the team gels over time.

Get months FREE with Surfshark: ⁠https://surfshark.club/friend/fFP9U5Sh⁠

Sign up with Rakuten (it's always free) and get money off the things you were buying anyway: ⁠www.rakuten.com/r/EDWARD22078?eeid=28187⁠

Let me know what you think on Reddit, Instagram, Spotify, or by writing the show at embersnest@gmail.com. The Ember's Nest Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey there Rise fans! I was really excited to record this episode as Katie was such a fantastic guest. In this episode we dive into Katie's journey from a standout volleyball player to a respected voice in sports broadcasting as color commentator for the Grand Rapids Rise. It was incredibly exciting to hear her thoughts on volleyball strategy, the MLV as a whole, the Rise team, and the vibrant volleyball culture in Grand Rapids. The number of variables in any given volleyball rally are astounding, not least of all air pressure!

Get months FREE with Surfshark: https://surfshark.club/friend/fFP9U5Sh

Sign up with Rakuten (it's always free) and get money off the things you were buying anyway: www.rakuten.com/r/EDWARD22078?eeid=28187

Let me know what you think on Reddit, Instagram, Spotify, or by writing the show at embersnest@gmail.com. The Ember's Nest Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Season 3 of the Rise has begun in Major League Volleyball (MLV). After a tumultuous offseason Omaha is back in the fold, Dallas is the new kid on the block, and Vegas is out. Beyond that there's a flurry of signings as Grand Rapids sees faces new and old join the ranks! What do you think about the MLV and the new Grand Rapids signings? Sound off on Reddit, Instagram, Spotify, or via email at embersnest@gmail.com

The Rise concluded their second season in emotional fashion, and I tried my hardest to find out what players and coaches are thinking about next season. I also get on my soapbox to stress my personal belief that the league needs less roster turnover year over year. Give this pod a listen to hear from me, coach Cathy George, Camryn Turner, Eleanor Holthaus, and Carli Snyder at the end of an up and down year for the Rise. What did you think of the episode? What did you think of this season? Sound off in the comments on social media or by writing the show embersnest@gmail.com! The stage is set for the PVF finals in Vegas-- got any good recs?

Ember's Nest is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Grand Rapids's slow starts continued, and this time it was fatal. The Rise fought hard to complete the reverse sweep but couldn't make it happen. That loss, plus the Indy win eliminated Grand Rapids from the playoffs.

Do you think they were a team that was good enough to make it but just didn't play well enough, or do you think Grand Rapids lacked the talent to get it done? Listen to hear my thoughts, but I want to know your thoughts! Comment on Reddit, Spotify, Instagram, or write the show, embersnest@gmail.com

Against the Ignite the Rise win to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Rise are 1.5 games back with 3 to play while Indy drops their 4th straight. Newcomer Holthaus provided a boost, Jensen seemed like she'd hit the ceiling of Van Andel, and seemingly all went right for the Rise as they answered the call. Plus, a big announcement!

Sound off regarding your thoughts on Spotify, Instagram, Reddit, or by writing the show embersnest@gmail.com.

Ember's Nest is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.