The seven first-year teams in the Pro Volleyball Federation chose their names carefully. In Grand Rapids, they paid homage to one of the most iconic mythical stories.
The Grand Rapids Rise are a charter member of the PVF, a new venture in women’s pro volleyball that aims to keep U.S. players in the states after they leave college.
“Grand Rapids has really risen in the last five to 10 years,” Cole DeVos said in April of 2023 when the name “Rise” was unveiled following a Name The Team” contest. “The city itself continues to grow, and volleyball is on the rise,” DeVos said.
Rising and being risen are a key to the new name, which evokes an uplifting, emerging franchise, league, and city.
The GR Rise logo landed on the use of the famed Phoenix, a mythical golden bird that rose from the fire and represents renewal, regeneration, and hope. The Phoenix is depicted in the primary and secondary logos, with a gold and red plume set against a field of blue.
The team’s mascot has been named “Ember,” to connect to the fire/Phoenix myth.
