SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Mojo earned a hard-fought four-set victory over the Omaha Supernovas on Tuesday night at Viejas Arena, 20-25, 25-21, 25-23, 25-22. San Diego improved to 4-7 on the season and 3-3 at home, while Omaha fell to a 10-5 record.
Temi Thomas-Ailara and Kendra Dahlke paced the scoring effort, as Thomas-Ailara scored a team-high 22 points while Dahlke scored 20.
The sides were evenly matched in the early portion of the first frame, as the set opened with a 3-3. An eight-point run for the Supernovas was brought to an end by a Lindsey Vander Weide kill, bringing the score to 11-4 in favor of the Supernovas. The Mojo battled back, as a Thomas-Ailara kill brought the squad to within four points, 15-11, but the Omaha attack would not relent as the Supernovas went on to win the set, 25-20.
San Diego came out firing in set two, taking an 8-4 lead to force a Supernovas time out. Omaha bounced back and tied the score back at 10-10. The set remained close until the Mojo pulled ahead, 19-17, after three kills from Valeria Papa. The Mojo won a pair of challenges over the final portion of the set, finishing it with a kill from Ronika Stone to win, 25-21.
Set three opened with the Mojo collecting three quick kills and a service ace to take a 4-0 advantage. The Supernovas found their footing and evened the score as 8-8 until a long run by the Mojo that featured two aces put the home side ahead, 15-9. Omaha squelched the Mojo momentum with a run of their own and tied the match at 20-20. The teams went point-for-point though the end, with the Mojo coming out ahead with the win, 25-23.
Omaha’s Bethania De La Cruz, who scored a match-high 30 points, had a strong start to the fourth set scoring four of the first seven Supernova points. The Mojo continued to fight, gaining back the serve with a kill by Valeria Papa to bring the score to 7-5. Both teams impressed on offense and defense throughout the fourth frame, playing point-for-point to put the score at 16-16. With the Supernovas leading 20-19, the Mojo subbed on Morgan Lewis and setter August Raskie in an effort to regain the momentum. This was Raskie’s first appearance on the court after recovering from a preseason injury. Both made an immediate impact, as Raskie’s energy and Lewis’ timely hitting turned the tide. Lewis scored four of the Mojo’s last six points, including the match winner, to give San Diego the set, 25-22.
The Mojo return to Viejas Arena on Sunday, April 7 when they welcome the Columbus Fury and first overall draft pick Asjia O’Neal. First serve is set for 4 p.m.