Just shy of the halfway point in the Pro Volleyball Federation season, we have a showdown in Atlanta between the two teams tied atop PVF standings. Omaha at 5-3 and Atlanta at 4-2 have proven, thus far, to be the league’s elite and will face off Thursday night.
The Vibe hope to stay undefeated vs the visiting ‘Novas, Atlanta won season opener in Omaha 3-2. Vibe outside hitters Leah Edmond and Alli Linnehan combined for 40 kills in that outing, that duo combined with Vibe newbie Anna Lazareva may be the best combination of pin hitters in PVF history.
Lazareva, the 27 year old Russian, was dominant in her debut in Grand Rapids. A performance including 25 kills and a .340 hitting efficiency. While the opposite position was being handled well by Grace Cleveland – particularly defensively – the offensive explosion on that side of the net makes Atlanta incredibly dangerous.
The match also marks the first time interim head coach, Bird Kuhn, has taken on the Vibe in her current role as Supernovas head coach. Kuhn, a former Division I head coach, played her collegiate volleyball in Vibe country at Georgia Tech.
Kuhn’s squad hopes to rely on the serve/pass game for a successful homecoming on the road. Omaha has been as good as anyone from the service line. Bethania de la Cruz leads the PVF with 19 aces on the year and the team leads the league in aces/match overall. On the flip side, the ‘Novas are only being aced 1.6 times per match; also the best in the PVF.
Atlanta hosts the league-leader in attendance and are hoping to fill those endline couches and more. The Supernovas are 3-1 on the road this season while Atlanta only has one loss in the Peach State. Something has to give between these two.
Thursday’s match will start at 7pm est and will be “televised” on YouTube.