Game Preview: San Diego Mojo at Orlando Valkyries | January 9, 2025

San Diego Mojo (0-0) at Orlando Valkyries (0-0)
The San Diego Mojo travel east to square off with the Orlando Valkyries in the season opener for the Pro Volleyball Federation. Last season, the Mojo topped the Valkyries in three of four matches, including both contests in Orlando. All four of the matches in 2024 went five sets, the only teams in the PVF to have each of their contests take the full five sets. First serve inside the Addition Financial Arena is set for 4:00 p.m. PT.

MATCH NOTES

Tune-In
Fans can watch the match on FS2

  • Paul Sunderland (play-by-play) and Holly McPeak (analyst) will be on the call.

San Diego Mojo Outlook
The Mojo look to build off of the momentum established at the end of the 2024 season, in which the team bounced back from a 1-5 start to win 13 of the final 18 regular-season games to earn a spot in the PVF Championship Semifinals. The squad came one set short of the championship match, falling to eventual champion Omaha in five sets after taking an early 2-0 lead.

San Diego head coach Tayyiba Haneef-Park’s roster features a pair of players who started every game for the Mojo last season in middle blocker Ronika Stone and libero Shara Venegas, as well as San Diego local Kendra Dahlke. Stone, a 2025 PVF Preseason All-League Team honor, led the league in hitting percentage last season with a mark of .336. Venegas was fourth in the league with 345 total digs (3.63), while Dahlke was among the top scorers for the Mojo in 2024 highlighted by a 23-point match at Orlando on April 14 that is the fifth-best scoring output in team history.

Orlando Valkyries Outlook
Orlando is led by second-year head coach Amy Pauly, who guided the Valkyries to an 8-16 record during the inaugural PVF season.

The roster is highlighted by a pair of Preseason All-League Team selections in middle blocker Kaz Brown and opposite hitter Brittany Abercrombie. Brown ranked second behind Stone in hitting percentage last season with a mark of .333, while posting the second-most blocks in the league with 68 (0.67/set) and ranking third in kill percentage (.433). Abercrombie is a 7-year professional who joins the league after winning the 2024 Athletes Unlimited title as the top-ranked player in the league.

Also on the Orlando roster is former Mojo standout Lindsey Vander Weide, an outside hitter who ranked second on the team in scoring last season with 3.4 points per set and earned PVF Player of the Week honors after establishing league records with 32 points and 30 kills in the last match between the Mojo and Valkyries on May 9.

ABOUT SAN DIEGO MOJO
San Diego Mojo are a women’s professional volleyball team in San Diego, Calif. and is a founding member of Pro Volleyball Federation, the premier women’s professional volleyball league in North America. The Mojo are led by 2024 PVF Coach of the Year and three-time Olympian Tayyiba Haneef-Park and play their home matches at Viejas Arena on the campus of San Diego State University. The team is owned by longtime San Diegan and UC San Diego alum Gary E. Jacobs, a co-founder and Chairman of the Board of the Gary and Jerri-Ann Jacobs High Tech High Charter School and managing director of Jacobs Investment Company (JIC).

ABOUT PRO VOLLEYBALL FEDERATION
Pro Volleyball Federation is the leading professional volleyball league in the United States. PVF sets the standard for the sport, offering the largest number of franchises, unmatched attendance, extensive broadcast coverage and substantial championship prize money. It combines top-tier talent, including NCAA stars and international athletes, with cutting-edge production and technology to provide fans with an unmatched viewing experience. As a vital link between collegiate volleyball and the professional stage, PVF is dedicated to shaping the future of the sport and increasing visibility for its athletes. For more information, visit ProVolleyball.com.

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