SAN DIEGO - The San Diego Mojo beat the Orlando Valkyries in five sets on Saturday night at Viejas Arena before an energetic crowd of 2,367. The two-hour and 19-minute matchup pitted two 10-11 teams desperate for a win. San Diego came out on top to move to third place in the Major League Volleyball (MLV) standings.
It was the team’s third home game in a week, where they beat the Dallas Pulse and lost to first place Indy Ignite, all five setters. The Mojo (11-11) overcame the Valkyries (10-12) 25-21, 16-25, 25-13, 23-25, 15-13, to increase their home wins to seven of their last nine.
The Mojo won the first set, facing extended and difficult rallies. Despite taking a commanding 21-13 set lead, the Valkyries found their balance and made a come back, scoring six straight to close to 21-19. The Mojo regained their stride, closing out the set 25-21. Libero Shara Venegas had an amazing dig early in the set that Orlando challenged, and lost. The Mojo only rose from there, with opposite hitter Jovana Brakočević’s great digs keeping rallies alive. The crowd was steady and electric the entire set, getting only louder the closer the score.
The Valkyries surged forward in the second set, leading from start to finish, 25-16. Maya Tabron, Marin Grote, and Morgan Lewis had three, two, and one kill respectively.
San Diego came back stronger in the third set. It was outside hitter Allison Jacobs’ moment with four kills on nine attacks (a 44% kill rate), two blocks, and four digs. The Mojo won an extended rally that crossed the net nine times and included a block and dig by middle blocker Taylor Sandbothe, sets by Grote and outside hitter Grace Loberg, and an attack by Jacobs that had the crowd screaming as they won the point and went up 22-11. The Mojo rode the momentum of that point and had the crowd on their feet as they won the third set and went up 2-1.
“We don't want to make it bigger than it has to be,” shared Jacobs about her mental focus and keeping herself calm in the middle of a set. “That way, as a team, we just stay together. It's really helpful also that everyone on the court is immediately updating me so I'm brought in.”
Outside hitter Allison Jacobs on the serve. Miguel Mejia/Miguel Mejia Photography
Things got tense in the fourth set, the entire set was extremely tight. Jacobs started it off with a kill, and Sandbothe immediately followed a block with a kill. The Mojo took an early 4-0 lead, but the Valkyries fought back. The Mojo tied it up nine times, the first with a back-and-forth pattern that happened throughout the set. Lewis and Jacobs had a kill and an ace, respectively, but the Valkyries won key points. As the Mojo began to get closer, the rallies got longer. Although down 19-15, they managed to tie the game at 21-21 and then 22-22. San Diego saved a set point, but the Valkyries ultimately won the set 25-23.
The fifth and final set was a nail-biter, with San Diego taking a 6-1 lead. Loberg had a kill in the middle of the net, and Lewis ended an amazing rally point with a kill. As the set went on, the Valkyries came close but San Diego was able to hold them off. A service error from Orlando had the crowd back on their feet and the score 14-12. The Mojo then won the fifth set 15-13 with a Loberg kill.
Jacobs was San Diego’s top scorer with 16 points and 27 attacks, and 44% kill rate. Sandbothe had 12 points, 15 attacks, and 40% kill rate. Venegas had 17 digs, and Loberg had 20. Setter Marlie Monserez had 18 digs and 43 assists.
“I think it is strategy and having a really good plan… but we're also prepared to deviate,” said head coach Alisha Childress about adjusting to the matchup mid-game. “We're not gonna throw [a plan] out, but we are going to adjust, and be prepared for that. We play a lot of different versions of our defense that we can just drop into a different one if that was warranted.”
Opposite hitter Jovana Brakočević. Miguel Mejia/Miguel Mejia Photography
Notable
This match was the seventh five-setter for the Mojo this season. They are 5-2 in these matchups, providing evidence that the team can close out matches strong.
The Mojo will have almost a week of rest and recovery before their game versus the sixth-place Atlanta Vibe at Gas South Arena on Friday in Atlanta. The Vibe are currently 9-12. Watch the game at 4 p.m. PST on KUSI or MLV’s YouTube channel.
