By Annie Walker
May 08, 2024
SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Mojo (11-11) are postseason bound after a four-set victory over the Columbus Fury (8-14) at Viejas Arena on Tuesday night, 25-22, 25-21, 19-25, 25-21, securing the fourth and final spot in the Pro Volleyball Federation playoffs. After starting the season 1-5, the Mojo have won 10 of their last 16 matches.
The victory moved San Diego back into third place in the league standings with two matches to play. The Mojo can secure the No. 3 seed in the playoffs with a victory in one of the final two matches or a loss by the Grand Rapids Rise in their regular-season finale against the Omaha Supernovas on May 12.
The inaugural Pro Volleyball Federation Championship will be held on May 15 and 18 at the CHI Health Center in Omaha. San Diego is among four teams that will compete for the first-ever title in the nation’s top professional volleyball league and a player bonus of $1 million. The other teams include the top-seeded Atlanta Vibe, second-seed Omaha and Grand Rapids. Fans can purchase tickets for the two semifinal sessions through this link. Tickets for the championship match can be purchased here.
Temi Thomas-Ailara led the Mojo scoring effort against Columbus with a match-high 20 kills and also added 12 digs for her 10th double-double of the season. Lindsey Vander Weide had 17 kills on 39 swings (.435), and Ali Bastienalli scored 10 points with five kills, two service aces and three blocks. Nootsara Tomkom had a match-high 50 assists with 10 digs, while Ronika Stone had nine kills and three blocks.
The Mojo got off to a hot start, scoring the first five points of the match with Bastianelli earning the first three courtesy a block and two kills to force a Fury time out. Tomkom kept things rolling out of the break for the Mojo with a pair of service aces to push the lead to 7-0. Columbus fought back with a three-point run, to cut the deficit to four, but San Diego responded with a three-point run of their own to increase their lead to 10-3. San Diego continued applying the pressure and pushed the advantage to nine, 14-5. The Fury rallied, putting together a 12-4 run to cut the Mojo lead to one, 18-17. A huge swing by Vander Weide ended the Fury onslaught, then back-to-back aces by Bastianelli put the Mojo lead back to four, 21-17. San Diego then scored three of the next five points to move to set point, 24-19. Columbus put together another three-point run to get back to within two. Thomas-Ailara halted the run with a smash in the middle of the Fury defense to give the Mojo the first set, 25-22.
In set two, Columbus took their first lead of the match after an ace gave them a 3-2 lead. San Diego responded by scoring the next four points to go ahead, 6-3, only to have the Fury battle back and regained the lead, 9-8. The sides traded the next six points to take the score to 12-11, when three-straight kills by Vander Weide put the Mojo back in front, 14-12. The squads remained close until a late surge by San Diego had the Mojo up four, 24-20. San Diego closed out the set two points later, winning 25-21, to move ahead two sets to none for just the second time this season.
Neither squad was able to build momentum in set three, with the Fury able to move ahead by two points on multiple occasions only to have the Mojo reel them back in. Columbus found their rhythm midway through the set to go ahead by four points, 15-11. The Fury would not trail for the rest of the frame, opening a six-point lead at 20-14 before closing out the set, 25-19.
It was all offense in set four as the teams battled point-for-point. The Mojo started the scoring with the Fury keeping pace and matching the San Diego effort to open the frame, 10-10. A pair of kills by Morgan Lewis gave the Mojo a bit of breathing room with a 12-10 lead, however Columbus continued to keep the pressure on and leveled the score at 14-14. San Diego scored the next two points, then slowly extended the lead, moving ahead by four, 20-16. The Fury cut the lead to two, 21-19, but would draw no closer. A Thomas-Ailara kill put the Mojo at match point, 24-20, and Vender Weide scored two points later to give San Diego the set, 25-21, a clinch spot in the PVF Championship semifinals.
The Mojo hit the road for the final two matches of the regular season, playing in Orlando against the Valkyries on Thursday, May 9 before wrapping up the regular-season schedule in Columbus on Saturday, May 11. First serve for both matches are set for 4 p.m. PT.
MATCH STATS | FULL MATCH VIDEO
ABOUT PRO VOLLEYBALL FEDERATION
Pro Volleyball Federation is the present and future of professional volleyball in North America. The League began play in January 2024 with world class players and coaches, including some of America’s greatest volleyball players joined by elite standouts from around the world. Seven teams have taken the court in the first season, with 10 teams scheduled for the 2025 campaign. Our focus is on ensuring that the level and quality of play, treatment of players and the entire fan experience is world class and the best offered anywhere. For more information, visit ProVolleyball.com.
ABOUT SAN DIEGO MOJO
The San Diego Mojo are a women’s professional volleyball team in San Diego, Calif. and is an inaugural member of Pro Volleyball Federation, the premier women’s professional volleyball league in North America. The Mojo play their home matches at Viejas Arena on the campus of San Diego State University.
COURTESY SAN DIEGO MOJO COMMUNICATIONS
