GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — An hour before the first-ever Grand Rapids Rise game, fans were lined up out the door at Van Andel Arena, waiting to be amongst the first to witness West Michigan sports history. And when the starting lineup was introduced to the crowd for the first time, the roar was deafening.
The hype was real for the area's first women's professional volleyball team, and girls in the audience were happy to see their new heroes take the court. Fourteen-year-old Michaela Bremer remembers the first time she ever heard about the Rise.
"I saw like the billboard on the way to my practice, and I was like, 'That's so exciting,' so I told my parents about it, and they were like, 'Yeah, we should go, so we got season passes," she said.
Seventeen-year-old Brooke Moore is a volleyball player from Morley Stanwood High School. She and her family made the one-hour trip from Mecosta County to be a part of this moment.
"I think it's really incredible that we're finally having a pro women's volleyball team just in general. And to bring it here to Grand Rapids is really insane," said Brooke, who is such a die-hard fan that she already has a favorite player.
"I'm really excited to watch Claire Chaussee. She is an outside hitter. She used to play for Louisville, and I love Louisville, so I've been watching her for a couple years."
Chaussee did not disappoint her young fans on opening night. The Rise awarded her the "Performance of the Game" for her 21 kills and two aces. The Rise beat the Columbus Fury in three sets. Their next home game will be on February 12 against the Omaha Supernovas.
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