By Annie Walker

May 11, 2024

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The San Diego Mojo rallied for a 3-1 win over the Columbus Fury, 22-25, 25-20, 25-22, 31-29, on Saturday night at Nationwide Arena. The Mojo (13-11) have won three-straight matches for the first time in program history and completed the four-match season sweep of the Fury (8-16).

San Diego has won 12 of their last 18 matches overall and now turn their focus to the Pro Volleyball Championship. The Mojo will play the Omaha Supernovas in the PVF Championship semifinals on Wednesday, May 15 at approximately 6:30 p.m. at the CHI Health Center in downtown Omaha.

Morgan Lewis led the Mojo effort against the Fury with team highs of 16 points and 12 kills. Valaria Papa scored 11 points with nine kills and two blocks while also leading the team with 14 digs, and Ali Bastianelli tallied 11 points with four kills and 7 blocks, her fourth match of the season with seven or more blocks. August Raskie paced San Diego with 27 assists.

The Mojo opened the match scoring the first two points, but the Fury kept the score close in the early stages of set one, eventually taking their first at 8-7. Ronika Stone hammered home a kill to equal the score and start a three-point run for San Diego to put the visitors back up by two, 10-8. After the sides traded points, a Lindsey Vander Weide kill pushed the Mojo back ahead by three at 13-10. The Fury slowly shipped away at the Mojo lead, taking advantage of two Mojo errors to move in front 17-16. Columbus kept rolling from there winning four of the next five points to go up by four, 21-17. San Diego rallied to trim the deficit to one, 22-21, but would not regain the lead, falling in set one, 25-22.

The teams played evenly during the early stages of set two with neither side able to build momentum. Columbus twice had two-point leads, at 6-4 and 13-11, only to have San Diego reel the Fury back in, finally taking the lead at 15-14. The Fury answered with a two-point run to regain the lead. The teams traded points until a three-point run for the Mojo put San Diego ahead, 20-18. The Mojo closed out the set scoring five of the next seven points to win the frame, 25-20.

San Diego started set three on fire, taking a quick 5-1 lead, highlighted by three-straight blocks by Hannah Tapp, Bastianelli and Lewis, then pushing the advantage to 9-3. The Mojo and Fury traded points until three-straight blocking errors by the Mojo cut the score to 11-8. San Diego responded with a five-point run to move ahead 16-8 before Columbus rallied with a five-point run of their own to cut the Mojo lead back to three points at 16-11. The sides battled over the next several point with a Fury service ace trimming the score to 18-16. The Mojo scored the next three points to go ahead by five, 21-16, before the Fury once again stormed back, cutting the lead to two, 24-22. After a Mojo time out, Lewis wrapped up the set for San Diego with a cross court smash to win it, 25-22.

In set four, Columbus built an early 4-2 lead before San Diego went on an 8-3 run to go ahead, 10-7. The Fury kept the score close from there, trimming their deficit to one on multiple occasions until a Mojo attacking error tied the set at 19-19. San Diego and Columbus matched each other point-for-point over next 10 scores with the Mojo getting to match point, only to have the Fury pull even, 24-24. The Fury moved ahead, 26-25, after another Mojo attacking error. San Diego continued to battle, pulling back ahead 29-28, then closing out the match on a Valeria Papa kill to win the set, 31-29.

The inaugural Pro Volleyball Federation Championship will be held on May 15 and 18 at the CHI Health Center. 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-seed Atlanta Vibe, second-seed Omaha and fourth-seed Grand Rapids Rise. Fans can purchase tickets for the two semifinal sessions through this link. Tickets for the championship match can be purchased here.

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