SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Mojo has signed middle blocker Taylor Sandbothe for the 2026 season, the organization announced on Wednesday. Sandbothe has played professionally for 11 seasons, spending last year with LOVB Madison.
“I’m so excited to be a part of this program and organization,” Sondbothe said. “I cannot wait to touchdown in San Diego and get to work.”
Sandbothe competed in the inaugural LOVB season in 2025, helping Madison to an 8-8 record and third place in the league’s regular-season standings. She led Madison and was third in the league with 15 service aces, while her .366 aces per set ranked second. Sandbothe added 84 kills and 42 digs (1.02/set), the second-best mark among middle blockers in the league.
Before her time in Madison, Sandbothe played professionally in France, Thailand, Peru, Puerto Rico and Portugal, as well as in the United States with Athletes Unlimited. She has helped her clubs win seven trophies during her career, most recently with FC Porto when the team claimed the 2023-24 Portuguese Divisão 1 championship. Sandbothe was named the 2020-21 Puerto Rico League MVP with Criollas de Caguas after leading the club to the league title. Prior to that, she led Supreme Chonburi-E.Tech to the 2017-18 Thailand League title, as well as victories in the Thai-Denmark Super League and AVC Champions League. Sandbothe began her professional career in France, helping RC Cannes to a runner-up finish in the 2016-17 French Supercup.
Sandbothe played collegiately at Ohio State (2013-16) and was a 2023 inductee into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame. She was a three-time All-American with the Buckeyes (2014 honorable mention, 2015 first team, 2016 second team), named all-region three times (2014-16), All-Big Ten three times (first team in 2015 and 2016, honorable mention in 2014) and a member of the All-Big Ten Freshman team in 2013. Sandbothe ranks fifth in program history in career kills (1,498) and fourth in points (1,914.5) and ranks in the top 10 in seven additional career categories, including program records in total blocks (564) and block assists (455). She led the Buckeyes in solo blocks, block assists and total blocks in each of her four seasons in Columbus.
A native of Lee's Summit, Mo., Sandbothe led Lee’s Summit West High to three straight state runner-up finishes (2010-12) and played club ball for Invasion VBC. Her mother, Teri, is a member of the University of Missouri Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame and was a four-time All-American and seven-time Big Eight champion for the Tiger track & field team. Sandbothe’s father, Mike, was a four-year starter for Missouri Basketball (1985-89) and her sister, Elle, played collegiate volleyball at Kansas State and Ohio State and currently plays professionally in Germany for Schwarz-Weiss Erfurt.
Sandbothe is the seventh Mojo signee for the 2026 season, joining outside hitter Kendra Dahlke, middle blockers Kayla Caffey and McKenna Vicini, setters Marlie Monserez and August Raskie, and libero Shara Venegas. Additional roster announcements will be made throughout the free agency window, and fans can follow every San Diego signing through the Mojo Free Agent Tracker.
Fans can place deposits now for 2026 Season Memberships at the team’s website, LetsGoMojo.com. For more information, contact the team at tickets@sandiegomojovb.com or call (619) 984-6656 (MOJO).
Player Details
Name: Taylor Sandbothe
Position: Middle Blocker
Height: 6-2
Date of Birth: December 15, 1994
Hometown: Lee's Summit, Mo.
Country: United States
College: Ohio State
ABOUT SAN DIEGO MOJO
San Diego Mojo is a women’s professional volleyball team in San Diego, Calif. and is a founding member of Major League Volleyball (MLV), the premier women’s professional volleyball league in North America. 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 MAJOR LEAGUE VOLLEYBALL
Major League Volleyball, entering its third season, is the longest-running formal professional volleyball league for women in the United States. Designed to elevate the sport through world-class competition, commercial innovation, and cultural relevance, MLV brings together elite athletes, visionary leadership and global ambition. With alignment to USA Volleyball and a commitment to Olympic development, MLV serves as the premier pathway from professional play to the world stage. For more information, visit ProVolleyball.com.
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