ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Valkyries will host the San Diego Mojo on Thursday, May 9 at 7 p.m. The match will take place at Addition Financial Arena and will be streamed on YouTube. Tickets for the match are still available and fans can visit the Orlando Valkyries website for additional information.
This will be the fourth and final meeting between Orlando (7-15) and San Diego (11-11). The Mojo have won the last two meetings and all three matches have gone to five sets.
Valkyries Players to Watch:
Azhani Tealer stepped into the starting lineup in the Valkyries last match with the absence of Shainah Joseph, who got called up by the Canadian national team. Against the Vegas Thrill, Tealer lead the team with 19 total points (11 kills and eight blocks). Tealer, an opposite hitter, was drafted in the third-round by Orlando out of the University of Kentucky in the Pro Volleyball Federation inaugural draft. At Kentucky, she was a National Champion (2020), two-time All SEC, two-time AVCA All-Region, AVCA All-American and AVCA Second Team All-America. Tealer played middle blocker in college, but has adjusted well to the opposite hitter position in the pros.
Kaz Brown recorded 13 total points (12 kills and one block) against the Thrill. In 22 matches this season, Brown is averaging 12.37 points, 8.82 kills and three blocks. The 6-foot-4 middle blocker leads the Pro Volleyball Federation in blocks with 66. Brown has five years of professional volleyball experience, which included stops in Germany, France, Ukraine and Greece. Brown attended the University of Kentucky, where she was a standout player and earned three-time All-SEC and three-time AVCA All-Region honors. She ended her collegiate career as the Wildcats’ career record holder for total blocks, solo blocks, and block assists. Because of her standout play, Brown was selected to the US Collegiate National Team in 2016-17.
Mojo Players to Watch:
Ronika Stone is a 6-foot-2 middle blocker, who is averaging 10.27 points, 7.36 kills and 2.32 blocks per match. Stone’s 0.338 hitting percentage leads the league. In San Diego’s last match against the Columbus Fury, she had 12 total points (nine kills and three blocks). Stone is a member of the US national team and placed second at Pan Am Final 6. Stone, a fourth-year pro, had an incredible collegiate career at the University of Oregon. She was a three time All-Pac-12 First Team selection and is one of two players in Oregon history to rank in the top 10 in blocks and points — Stone is first in hitting percentage and block assists.
Temi Thomas-Ailara led the Mojo with 22 total points (20 kills, one block and an ace) against the Fury. The 6-foot-2 outside hitter is averaging 3.71 kills per set and ranks sixth in the league with 308 kills. Her season-high in points is 30 and in kills is 27. Thomas-Ailara is a rookie, who was drafted 13th overall in the second round of the Pro Volleyball Federation Draft by the San Diego Mojo. She played her final season of college volleyball for the University of Wisconsin as a graduate transfer. Prior to Wisconsin, Thomas-Ailara played four seasons at Northwestern University, where she was a 2022 AVCA Second Team All-American.
ABOUT PRO VOLLEYBALL FEDERATION
Pro Volleyball Federation is the present and future of professional volleyball in North America. The League began play in January 2024 with world class players and coaches, including some of America’s greatest volleyball players joined by elite standouts from around the world. Seven teams have taken the court in the first season, with 10 teams scheduled for the 2025 campaign. Our focus is on ensuring that the level and quality of play, treatment of players and the entire fan experience is world class and the best offered anywhere. For more information, visit ProVolleyball.com.
ABOUT ORLANDO VALKYRIES
The Orlando Valkyries, proud member team in the Pro Volleyball Federation — the premier women’s professional volleyball league in North America. The Valkyries, which began play in January 2024, plays out of Addition Financial Arena, located in the heart of the University of Central Florida campus. Tickets are on sale now. For more information on how to get tickets, contact the Orlando Valkyries sales department at (321)-244-4600 Ext. 113, email Tickets@OrlandoValkyries.com, click on OrlandoValkyries.com, visit the Addition Financial Arena box office or go to the Ticketmaster website: Ticketmaster.com. Fans can follow the team on Facebook or via X, Instagram and TikTok — @ORLValkyries or visit OrlandoValkyries.com.
* Orlando Valkyries, Pro Volleyball, DIG IT! *