SAN DIEGO (March 11, 2024) – The San Diego Mojo took a loss to the Orlando Valkyries in five sets, 25-19, 20-25, 23-25, 25-20, 12-15, on Monday night at Viejas Arena. San Diego fell to 2-6 on the season, while the Valkyries improved to a 5-6 record. Temi Thomas-Ailara recorded a team-high 22 points and Ronika Stone followed with 19 points. Noostara Tomkom had a 50 percent kill percentage, while Stone posted a kill percentage of 35 percent.
Set 1: San Diego started the match strong with a block by Stone giving the Mojo their first point. The longest rally of the set was won by Mojo bringing them to 2-1. Stone brought the Mojo to a 14-11 advantage with an incredible spike to end an ever-flowing rally. A kill by Lindsey Vander Weide took the Mojo to 18-13 and a Stone put Adam Diego at set point with a kill bringing the score to 24-18. The Mojo won the set two points later, 25-19.
Set 2: After winning the first set, the Mojo went into the next set with great energy. The squads traded points to 8-8 until Valkyries went on a three-point run to reach 11-8. The Mojo fell behind making the score 17-10 when Grace Loberg started a rally that brought the Mojo to within four points at 21-17 after a Valkyries attack error. That's as close as San Diego would get in the set, ultimately losing, 25-20.
Set 3: The Mojo and Valkyries opened the frame once again trading points until a mini-run gave Orlando a 10-7 lead. Loberg started a 6-5 run for San Diego that culminated with a kill by Stone to throw Valkyrie off their game and give the visiting side a 15-13 lead. The Mojo continued to battle, and a Hannah Tapp kill put the score to 18-17 and Vander Weide followed with a kill to make it 18-18. Coming out of a timeout, the Valkyries’ Adora Anae stunned the Mojo with a kill that gave them a 22-21 lead. It was short-lived as Thomas-Ailara gave the Mojo the tying point after a lengthy rally. Orlando challenged a floor touch, but the Mojo tied the score to 22-22. The Mojo continued to play a strategic defense that resulted in two point errors by Orlando. The crowd erupted after Mojo challenged a center line fault, winning to bring the score to set-point, 24-22. The Valkyrie scored the next point, but the Mojo won the set, 25-23.
Set 4: The Mojo fell in set four, with the Valkyries taking an early 6-2 lead. A kill by Vander Weide cut the deficit to 7-4. Strategic defense and a big kill by Thomas-Ailara cut the deficit to 11-10, but the Valkyrie’s’ controlled the rest of the set, ending it with an ace from Anae to make it 25-20.
Set 5: The Mojo started set five strong and led 5-3 after a monster kill by stone. Valeria Papa ended a strong Orlando run with a powerful shot to tie the score at 6-6. Coming out of a timeout, the Valkyries built a 14-10 lead to get to match point. San Diego scored the next two points, but Orlando ended up winning the set and match at 15-12. Next up, San Diego heads to Nevada on Sunday, March 24 to face the Vegas Thrill at Dollar Loan Center with the first serve set for 4 p.m. PT.
A B O U T P R O V O L L E Y B A L L F E D E R A T I O N
Pro Volleyball Federation is REAL PRO VOLLEYBALL and the premier women’s professional volleyball league in North America. Pro Volleyball Federation will begin play in January 2024 with world class players and coaches, including some of America’s greatest volleyball players and elite players from around the world. Our entire focus is on ensuring that our level and quality of play, our treatment of players, the quality of our event presentations, and our day-to-day fan experience is world class and the very best offered in North America. For more information, visit ProVolleyball.com.
ABOUT THE SAN DIEGO MOJO
The San Diego Mojo are a women’s professional volleyball team in San Diego, Calif. and is an inaugural member of Pro Volleyball Federation, the premier women’s professional volleyball league in North America. The Mojo play their home matches at Viejas Arena on the campus of San Diego State University. The ownership group includes 5-time Olympian Kerri Walsh Jennings. Full season tickets and Pick-6 Plans are on sale now!