Ember's Nest (Edward White)

Unbeknownst to me at the time of this recording I was coming down with a hard case of Influenza A, so forgive my less coherent thoughts than usual! In this episode I discuss both Grand Rapids vs Atlanta and Grand Rapids vs Columbus.

It was interesting to me how very little carried over from the Atlanta win to the Columbus win, even with some exciting things along the way like holding Leah Edmond to just 11 kills or the debut of Raven Colvin!

What do you think led to the victories? What will you be looking for going forward? Sound off on Spotify, Reddit, Instagram, or by writing the show at embersnest@gmail.com. Ember's Nest is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Now, time to rest up for both the Rise and me!

The Rise playoff hopes grow dimmer as they prevail in an exciting 3-2 match against Columbus, but then fall 3-1 to the Supernovas on the road. If that wasn't enough to discuss, the Rise added Devyn Robinson off waivers but may (or may not) have dropped Naya Shime from the roster entirely. What happened? No one knows! If you know, comment on Reddit, Spotify, or Instagram or write the show, embersnest@gmail.com.

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

Grand Rapids Rise prevail over Omaha for the first time this season in Dimitrova's final match as a member of the Grand Rapids Rise. With the win, Grand Rapids has at least one victory over every playoff team. What lessons can be learned from this one and what does Grand Rapids need to score the upset over Atlanta? I discuss it here, but I'd love to hear from you by writing the show at embersnest@gmail.com, engaging on Reddit or Spotify.

Ember's Nest is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music (new!), and Audible (also new!).

The Grand Rapids Rise prevail against the Vegas Thrill, but lose star player Emiliya Dimitrova to injury. What did you think about the performance? If you're on Spotify you can sound off and might get your feedback read on the pod!

This podcast is family friendly, but I also encourage you to check out my other work investigating an unsolved serial murder in Michigan (viewer discretion advised): ⁠The Forever Children of Oakland County

The Rise started sharp and then came back to Earth with a 1-3 loss to the Mojo but find a way to flip the script and clinch a playoff berth the next day with a 3-0 sweep of the Mojo. The Rise briefly lost control of their playoff destiny before Columbus fell to Omaha. That granted the Rise control (again) heading into the second game of the series against the Mojo. The Rise had to figure out how to get Gomez and Dimitrova back on track while stopping Willow Johnson and they do, prevailing in a sweep and punching their ticket to Omaha! What did you think of the weekend series? Who stood out to you? Who needed to play better? Are you ready for postseason volleyball? Some sound from https://freesound.org/people/DeVern/sounds/437033/

The Grand Rapids Rise snap their 3 game losing streak against the Orlando Valkyries and get revenge against Orlando! This was a total team effort to get the W, with big contributions from Erika Pritchard!

Track: Ode to Joy Music by https://www.fiftysounds.com

The Rise nearly fail to show up in this one, falling to Columbus in a 3-0 sweep. What is the reason for the poor performance? Feel free to sound off! Beyond that, the PVF inexplicably is not allotting any tickets for the PVF championship to media. Why?

A non-triumphant post-game recap here as the Grand Rapids Rise lose 3-1 to the dominant Omaha Supernovas. A boatload of assists from Ashley were not enough to propel the Rise to 5 sets or a win. What can the team do to win close sets?

This podcast is family friendly, but I also encourage you to check out my other work investigating an unsolved serial murder in Michigan (viewer discretion advised): The Forever Children of Oakland County

The Grand Rapids Rise get revenge after previously becoming victim to the first ever reverse sweep in Professional Volleyball Federation history! It was a great showing from the Rise, Sarah Sponcil and Emilya Dimitrova led the way! What did you think about the performance? If you're on Spotify you can sound off and might get your feedback read on the pod!

This podcast is family friendly, but I also encourage you to check out my other work investigating an unsolved serial murder in Michigan (viewer discretion advised): The Forever Children of Oakland County

The Rise drop a heartbreaker to Columbus 3-2 in Van Andel Arena despite several changes to the lineup. I thought most changes were positive, but the team seems to tense up in tight moments. Do they have the yips? Let me know by writing the show embersnest@gmail.com, or commenting on Spotify, Reddit, and Instagram. After we hear from the players and coaches I talk about the biggest event of the PVF season: The All Star Game. What are your thoughts on the game?

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

Grand Rapids journey from the cold winter to the sunny skies of Orlando did not go as planned as the Rise get swept. Orlando had great performances from Ambercrombie, Foster, and others, while the Rise just could not get going offensively in this one. They held Orlando to a .207 hitting percentage, but the Rise in turn only hit .161 as a team. In my estimation, the Rise have to find another source of offense to free up Snyder and Pritchard-- defenses are really keying in on those two players. Hopefully Shime returns soon, I will update on socials when I hear anything!

What do you think the Rise need to do to stop the slide? Let me know by writing the show embersnest@gmail.com, commenting on Reddit, Spotify, or Instagram, or perhaps sending a carrier pigeon to the next home match. Go Rise!

Big shout out to the Rise who stayed together as a team and avoided their second reverse sweep against Vegas and came out on top 3-2. With the win the Rise move to 3rd place in the PVF as the playoff race heats up!

This podcast is family friendly, but I also encourage you to check out my other work investigating an unsolved serial murder in Michigan (viewer discretion advised): ⁠The Forever Children of Oakland County

The opening weekend of the PVF is here! Attendance is up, matches are competitive, and all is well for the league... just not the Rise! After getting reverse swept in Vegas, the Rise return home to a record crowd only to be swept by the defending champs.

Despite the results I see encouraging signs from this Grand Rapids team, and luckily they still have time to figure out how to best fit these talented players together. The matches were still full of surprises, good and bad. I thought blocking is trending in the right direction but we still have too many plays out of system and too few attacks from the back row. I break down both games in this episode of Ember's Nest.

What's your takeaway from the opening weekend? Sound off by writing the show, embersnest@gmail.com, commenting on Spotify or Reddit, or giving the show a shout on Instagram @embersnestpod!

In this one the Rise and I are all out of sorts! The Rise cruise to victory in set 1 but cannot overcome Atlanta's adjustments and fall 3-1 to the Vibe. Meanwhile, I left all my notes and post game questions in the press box! When I sat down to record the podcast, I used the wrong mic! I fixed as much as possible but as a result I sound quite... interesting.

Can we call it method acting? I don't know, but join me in this one to break down this match against the Atlanta Vibe. Grand Rapids seems to really be missing Naya Shime despite what I view as good play from Kaleigh Nelson in relief. The rest of the team seems to need to find a way to elevate their own game in response. What do you think the Rise need to do going forward to get back in the win column? Write the show embersnest@gmail.com, comment on Reddit or Instagram, or perhaps send a carrier pigeon! Go Rise!

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

Grand Rapids visited Columbus fresh off their four game winning streak and fell to the Fury, earning Columbus their first victory of the season, while the Rise fall to 4-4. The Rise were out blocked, out dug, and out hit in this 5 setter. The attack errors in sets 4 and 5 really stuck out to me as the nail in the coffin. Still, I may be blinded by fan optimism but I think Grand Rapids is more like the team that won 4 in a row than the team that dropped this one in Columbus. We'll find out when we play Atlanta at home on Thursday!

What did you think about this one? What are you looking for from the Rise against Atlanta to get back into the win column? Sound off on Spotify, Reddit, Instagram, or by writing the show embersnest@gmail.com.

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

Welcome to the inaugural podcast of Ember's Nest, a fan podcast covering the Grand Rapids Rise Professional Volleyball team! Here I set some expectations for the podcast, and also discuss the last 2 games that the Rise played against the Vegas Thrill and Columbus Fury! Join the fun!

This podcast is family friendly, but I also encourage you to check out my other work investigating an unsolved serial murder in Michigan (viewer discretion advised): The Forever Children of Oakland County

There's plenty to cover for the Rise in this one-- in 48 hours the Rise not only sign 3 coaches for this season but potentially draft their future as well. It's a flurry of moves and there's no better place to hear about it and voice your opinion than the Ember's Nest podcast. Write the show at embersnest@gmail.com to have your opinion voiced!

Hello Grand Rapids Rise fans! The dust has settled on the free agency period for now and I’m excited to start thinking volleyball again. This episode dives into the Grand Rapids Rise newest (and oldest!) members alongside my enthusiasm and questions for this upcoming season. More to come on PVF vs LOVB, but for now it’s all Grand Rapids Rise! Let me know what you think by writing embersnest@gmail.com, as well as commenting on Spotify and Reddit!

The Grand Rapids Rise drop their latest match to the Vegas Thrill and have fallen out of the playoff race. If they want to get back into it, they've got to start winning at a clip we have not seen this season. They've got the practice time to work some things out, but will that be enough to make things interesting down the final stretch of the season? I offer my thoughts in the podcast. What do you think? Comment on Reddit, Instagram, Spotify, or write the show embersnest@gmail.com.

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

Grand Rapids Rise played a thriller at home in front of over 5000 fans-- the most attended game outside of the home opener! Unfortunately, they weren't able to come out on top.

Big thanks to the Grand Rapids Rise for allowing me to attend a game as a member of the press. Please rate and share this to grow the Ember's Nest listenership!

In a bit of a 2 for 1 special here the Rise lose to Atlanta (who isn't losing to Atlanta these days?!) before emerging victorious in what is proving to be a series of matches at breakneck speed for the Rise.

Grand Rapids finishes up their season series with the Mojo in San Diego by way of a 3-1 victory. Jensen and Briggs-Romine led the way in this one, but it required a total team effort to earn the victory as well as a PVF record 18 blocks (again)! This sets up a massive showdown against Atlanta and Vegas as all 3 teams battle for playoff positioning. Grand Rapids took care of business, but it's hard not to look ahead to those big matchups.

What did you think in this one? Let me know by commenting on Reddit, Spotify, Instagram, or by writing the show at embersnest@gmail.com.

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

Ember’s Nest is on the road for this one! I’ll be back to my usual recording setup by the next pod! Here I talk a bit about LOVB vs PVF, (more to come there in the offseason), the rumors over players already deciding to leave after the year, and the match against Omaha yesterday. Great play by Gomez, Podraza, and Chaussee wasn’t enough to push the Rise over the top in this one!

The Grand Rapids Rise this week reignited my true sports passion-- crusading against unreviewable calls! The team played pretty well all things considered, and I am bouncing-off-the-wall excited for Saturday's nationally televised game against Orlando!

This podcast is family friendly, but I also encourage you to check out my other work investigating an unsolved serial murder in Michigan (viewer discretion advised): ⁠The Forever Children of Oakland County

I am finally recovered from the Flu, but I still needed assistance in this one from the wife, friends, and listeners like you! You'll have to listen to this one but I think it's safe to say: the wife knows ball! Listen for her thoughts, my thoughts, and post game interviews!

Monster Blocks were the name of the game(s) as Grand Rapids continued their defensive ways en route to victories over the Orlando Valkyries and the San Diego Mojo. Erika Pritchard really had a coming out party, and really solid contributions from Carli Snyder and Naya Shime cannot be overlooked. The Rise ride their 4 game winning streak into an upcoming showdown with the Columbus Fury.

What do you think led to the victories? What will you be looking for going forward? Sound off on Spotify, Reddit, Instagram, or by writing the show at embersnest@gmail.com. Ember's Nest is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Eleanor Holthaus made her impact immediately felt against Vegas after only joining the team earlier in the week from Germany! She was second on the team in points in a dominant Rise sweep over the Thrill. The Rise are desperate to get back in the playoff hunt, and have a chance to make things interesting with upcoming matches against Orlando and Indy.

A listener had also written in regarding the PVF attendance year over year, so I offer my thoughts on that. What do you think? Write the show embersnest@gmail.com or comment on Spotify, Reddit, or Instagram. Ember's Nest is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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.

Ember's Nest is back! While some personal obligations prevented me from making episodes after the last 2 matches, I'm locked back in for a 3 match recap episode! It's interesting looking back at these matches together; I felt as if I was uncovering just how many clues were left behind regarding the team's strategy going into this latest match against the Mojo. Are the Rise back on track? Shime is on track to return, reinforcements are on the way! Listen in for full commentary. What do you think? Sound off on Reddit, Instagram, or Spotify!

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

Live from Omaha, I discuss my impressions of Omaha the town, discuss how well they pulled this event off (even if there are areas of improvement) and of course talk about the Grand Rapids Rise falling 3-0 to the Omaha Supernovas in the PVF Championship. Ultimately, the ability to be here was a privilege, but carrying the torch of fandom is also a privilege as well as a curse of its own. The fact that the PVF as a whole and the Rise have been able to get fans to care so much and put so much emotional equity into it is the biggest victory of this whole ordeal and is a positive indicator for the future. What are your final thoughts on the first season of the PVF? I want to hear from you: write the show, comment on instagram (embersnestpod) or Reddit, or send in a voice message! I want to know what this first season of the PVF meant to you! Ember's Nest is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, and Audible.

Grand Rapids comes away with the upset victory behind fantastic defense and key contributions from Marin Grote, Kayla Caffey, and Ashley Evans alongside the usual stalwarts of Dimitrova and Chaussee! This rollercoaster of a match was back and forth, but in the words of Ashley Evans, the pressure was on Atlanta and Grand Rapids just made their adjustments to win the game. The Bolt6 challenge system was also expertly utilized by Grand Rapids to help swing this one to them.

Will you be in Omaha? Are you having a big watch party at home? Sound off on Reddit, Spotify, or now Instagram @embersnestpod! What did you think of the first of two 5 set semifinal matches?

The Rise falling to 0-3 were somehow not the biggest story of the night for the team as what is in my mind the bell-weather franchise of the PVF, the Omaha Supernovas, announced their departure. I have many thoughts on this, some of which you can hear here, but most of which I'll share when I have more time to compose my thoughts. The original recording of this episode was perhaps a little too passionate!

There were some positives once again from Grand Rapids, but some of the problems that plagued the team against Vegas and Omaha continued into this match against Indy. Listen in to hear more about that.

This was the first episode of the podcast to get some community feedback and thoughts discussed, and it was my favorite segment! If you want to share your thoughts on the team, email the show embersnest@gmail.com, or comment on Instagram (Ember's Nest Podcast) or Reddit!

In an Ember's Nest first, here I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Marin Grote who is entering her second season as Middle Blocker for the Rise. Marin had a strong season last year as she was #3 in the PVF in blocks, but it's clear in my time with Marin that the focus is squarely on next season.

It was a joy to chat with Marin about the new squad, how she feels about playing against her sister in the PVF, and Sarah J Maas of all things! I hope you the listener enjoy listening to the pod as much as I enjoyed making it. As always, leave your feedback on Reddit, Spotify, or write the show at embersnest@gmail.com.

Grand Rapids drops the first two games of their 4 game home stand in entirely different ways. A great defensive performance but sub par offense spelled doom against Atlanta, while an offensive resurgence wasn't nearly enough against Indy as the Ignite hit .405 against the Rise's vaunted defense. I recap both matches, offer a silver lining, and we hear from coach George, Oglevie, Snyder, Pritchard, Raske, and Bastianelli.

With the two losses, they fall squarely out of the playoff picture and have to go on a run to get back in it. What do you think the Rise can do to claw their way back into contention?

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