By Annie Walker

Apr 7, 2024

SAN DIEGO—The Columbus Fury (5-9) put together another competitive performance on Sunday in San Diego but came up short once again in four sets (23-25, 25-19, 25-22, 25-23). Columbus was able to hold on late to take the first set behind stellar play from Samantha Drechsel. The Mojo responded in set two by jumping out to a big lead, never trailing, to even the match at 1-1. Both the third and fourth sets were close throughout, but San Diego held on late in each set to come away with the win.

Set 1

It was a tightly contested first set with both teams getting their opposite hitters going early. Samantha Drechsel totaled six kills in the set, putting down five kills on her first six swings. Temi Thomas-Ailara was just as hot for the Mojo with nine kills in the set. The Fury were clutch down the stretch, scoring 10 of the last 15 points, and closed the set with back-to-back kills from Asjia O’Neal.

Set 2

The Mojo took the early lead in set two and Columbus was never able recover to get back in the set. The Fury struggled to stop Thomas-Ailara once again as she put up 10 kills in the frame, and after four blocks in the first set for Columbus they had none in set two.

Set 3

Reagan Cooper came alive for the Fury in set three putting down eight kills on 15 swings in the set. Despite the performance from Cooper, Columbus struggled to close out another close set. With the set tied at 20, San Diego closed the set on a 5-2 run, including scoring the final three points to take the 2-1 lead.

Set 4

The Fury opened up a 7-3 lead in the fourth set behind three early kills from Megan Courtney Lush and two kills from Drechsel. The Mojo were able to chip away at the Columbus lead, taking the lead at 12-11, and led 15-12 at the media timeout. Down 19-15, the Fury rattled off five-straight points to take a 20-19 lead behind the arm of Cooper and the block of O’Neal. The Mojo were able to end the run at five points and held on for the 25-23 set win.

Standout Stats

• Three different Fury players notched double doubles on the night. Megan Courtney Lush had 14 kills and a team-high 15 digs, Samantha Drechsel had 15 kills and 12 digs, and Reagan Cooper had a team-high 18 kills and 11 digs.
• Ivania Ortiz came on in the second set as libero after an injury to Valeria León and tallied a season-high 10 digs.
• Tori Stringer got the start and played three of the four sets, but Ray Santos came on late in the first set and paced the team with 33 assists.

Up Next

The Fury will have five full days to regroup to face the Mojo once again on Friday night in Nationwide Arena. The match will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network at 7 p.m. ET.

ABOUT THE COLUMBUS FURY