Sarah Sponcil, a member of the United States National Team, has signed to play with the San Diego Mojo for the 2025 season. The libero/setter competed with USA Beach Volleyball at the Tokyo Olympics and played indoor professionally last season with the Grand Rapids Rise.
“It is an honor and privilege to be joining the San Diego Mojo. Having played against the Mojo during the inaugural Pro Volleyball Federation season, the team’s sports IQ, skill, teamwork and determination on the court was obvious,” Sponcil said. “I am honored to be a part of that team and looking forward to getting back on the hardwood, learning from the best, and help bring a championship to the Mojo.”
In 2024, Sponcil appeared in 20 matches for Grand Rapids, making 14 starts and playing in 76 sets, helping the Rise advance to the PVF Championship title match. On the year, she tallied 31 assists and 240 digs, including a Rise franchise record 26 digs against the Mojo on February 23.
“Sarah is one of the most diverse players in the league and we can't wait to see her excel with the Mojo,” said San Diego Mojo head coach Tayyiba Haneef-Park. “Although she trained as a libero last year for Grand Rapids, Sarah is equally talented as a setter and outside hitter, and we can't wait to explore more ways we can use her versatility on the court. As an Olympian, she truly understands persistence, determination and leadership. We hope to lean on her elite experiences on and off the court to help build a culture of resilience and growth mindset.”
Prior to joining the Rise, Sponcil was part of the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) Tour for six years and played in the Federation Internationale de Volleyball Tour (FIVB) for five seasons. Sponcil partnered with Terese Cannon and took home gold at the 2022 AVP Tour Hermosa Beach tournament and silver at the FIVB World Tour in Cape Town. In 2023, Sponcil and Cannon garnered a silver medal at the FIVB World Tour Ostrava and a bronze medal at the FIVB World Tour Itapema. Sponcil was also crowned the AVP Defensive Player of the Year in 2022 when she averaged 7.1 digs.
In international competition, Sponcil was a member of Team USA Beach Volleyball for the five years (2019-24). In indoor competition, last month she helped USAV claim silver at the Women’s NORCECA Pan American Cup in Mexico, starting at libero for Team USA in the tournament. On the sand, she paired with Kelly Claes to earn a spot on Team USA after winning gold at the FIVB World Tour in Sochi and Ostrava in 2021. Sponcil and Claes went on to become the youngest team to ever represent the USA in beach volleyball in the Olympics, taking ninth place at the Tokyo Games.
In 2016, Sponcil captured a gold medal for Team USA Beach Volleyball at the Four Nations U21 Tournament with Torrey Van Winden. She also finished fourth at the 2016 FIVB U21 World Championships, which was the highest finish from the U.S.
Collegiately, Sponcil was a two-time national champion in beach volleyball at UCLA in 2018 and 2019, claiming the first national crown for the Bruins in the sport. In 2018, Sponcil was named to the VolleyMob All-American First Team, selected as VolleyMob Pair of the Year with Lily Justine, and tabbed for the AVCA All-American Honorable Mention Team. During the 2017 indoor season, she ranked third in the country with 1,325 total assists and second with 11.23 assists per set.
Before competing for UCLA, Sponcil attended Loyola Marymount University from 2014-17, she competed at Loyola Marymount University, finishing ninth in school history with 1,193 kills and 3.43 kills per set, and seventh with 3,063 attacks. In 2017, Sponcil was named West Coast Conference (WCC) Player of the Year and an All-WCC First Team selection with LMU Beach Volleyball. In indoor competition, Sponcil was a two-time AVCA All-Region and honorable mention All-American and two-time All-WCC First Team honoree (2015-16). As a freshman 2014, Sponcil was named to the WCC All-Freshman Team and earned AVCA Pacific South Region Freshman of the Year honors.