Columbus Travels to San Diego for Sunday Showdown
Published on February 28, 2026 under Major League Volleyball (MLV)
Columbus Fury News Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Columbus Fury have a quick turnaround for their next match, traveling to San Diego to face the Mojo at Viejas Arena on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET. In the previous meeting this season, the Mojo pulled out a four-set victory in San Diego.
THE SERIES
This is the 10th meeting between the Columbus Fury and the San Diego Mojo, with the Mojo holding an 8-1 advantage in the all-time series. The Fury have not won a match in San Diego.
THE OPPONENT
After a slow start to the season, the San Diego Mojo have been on a hot streak with five wins in their last six matches. The Mojo are led by first-year head coach Alisha Childress, a decorated U.S. Olympian (2016 Rio bronze medalist) and league All-Star. Libero Shara Venegas returns for her third season with the Mojo, providing consistent leadership and defensive firepower. OH Maya Tabron looks to build off a strong rookie season, while standouts OPP Morgan Lewis and OH Grace Loberg return to San Diego after competing with the inaugural team in 2024. The Mojo also added MB Marin Grote as a free agent after she was named a 2025 MLV Al-Star.
UNLEASH THE FURY
- Columbus' roster features four Ohio natives, Megan Lush, Ashley Evans, Raina Terry and Abby Walker, who will once again be playing volleyball in the Buckeye State.
- Head Coach Ángel Pérez returns for his third season at the helm after signing a multi-year contract extension in August.
- The Fury lead Major League Volleyball with 2.67 blocks per set and despite playing the second-fewest sets have the second-most total blocks with 128. Columbus has had double-digit blocks in seven matches, including a franchise record 17 blocks in the Jan. 10 loss to Omaha.
- Raina Terry has had a big start to the season, following up on her solid rookie year in 2025. The Marengo, Ohio native leads MLV with 4.79 points per set and sits second with 230 points. Terry has had double-digit points in every match and has four double-doubles as well.
- Regan Pittman-Nelson has been a force at the net for the Fury this season, leading the league with 0.84 blocks per set and 36 total blocks. Pittman-Nelson has also been an offensive threat, scoring double-digit points in eight matches this season.
- Kamaile Hiapo stepped into the starting libero role in mid-February and has done a stellar job. She posted back-to-back matches with 20+ digs and set a franchise record with 27 digs in the four-set win over the Orlando Valkyries on Feb. 22. In her four starts, Hiapo is averaging 4.93 digs per set.
- The Fury join the Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL) and the Columbus Crew (MLS) as the major league teams representing the city.
BLOCK PARTY
The Columbus Fury's biggest strength this season has been the team's presence at the net, stuffing a Major League Volleyball leading 2.67 blocks per set. Despite playing the second-fewest sets in the league so far this season, the Fury are second in the league with 128 total blocks. The team has posted double-digit blocks in seven of the 12 matches this season and in the narrow loss to Omaha the Fury set a franchise record with 17 total blocks. This has been a team effort by the Fury, as Regan Pittman-Nelson leads the team with 36 blocks while Raina Terry is right behind her with 28 blocks and three other players also have double-digit blocks.
RECORD BREAKING PERFORMANCE
Kamaile Hiapo was forced into the starting libero role in mid-March and has done an admirable job serving as the Fury's defensive leader. In her first start, against Dallas on Feb. 14, Hiapo led the team with 10 digs while adding three assists. Hiapo doubled that output in her second start, with 20 digs and six assists in the four-set loss to the Atlanta Vibe on Feb. 19. In her third start of the season, the Gilbert, Arizona native set a franchise record with 27 digs to help the Fury beat the defending champion Orlando Valkyries. Hiapo started strong with eight digs in the first set, before posting five in the second set and four in the third. She saved her best for last though, registering 10 digs in the decisive fourth set to secure the win.
THE RETURNERS
Megan Lush, Raina Terry and Abby Walker - all Ohio natives - return for another season with the Columbus Fury in 2026. The duo of Terry and Walker were drafted in 2024 and played big roles for the Fury as rookies last season. Terry made an immediate impact, finishing second on the team with 2.55 kills per set (194 kills) and 3.11 points per set (236) after being selected with the 11th overall pick. Walker led the team in blocks and hitting percentage after being taken with the 32nd overall pick. Lush, the two-time team captain and 2025 MLV All-Star, had another great all-around season for the Fury in 2025, finishing with 163 kills, 220 digs, 22 blocks and nine service aces.
THE NEWCOMERS
The Columbus Fury signed several high-impact free agents in August, adding more experience and size to the roster. Among those free agents is setter Ashley Evans - an Ohio native - who played last season for Bergamo in the Italian league after being the MLV assists leader during the league's inaugural season in 2024. Additionally, the Fury added middle blocker Rachel Gomez, setter Audrey Pak and middle blocker Regan Pittman in August. Columbus later signed middle blocker Rainelle Jones, an MLV veteran and Fury fan favorite from the 2024 season, outside hitter Jaelyn Hodge, libero Kamaile Hiapo and opposite Kashauna Williams.
THE ROOKIES
With a plan of adding "point scorers" to the roster during the 2025 MLV Draft, the Columbus Fury did just that by adding Flormarie Heredia Colon (Miami), Maya Winterhoff (App State) and free agent Akasha Anderson (Purdue). Heredia Colon, an outside hitter from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, led the NCAA in kills as a senior in 2025 and set the Miami record for career kills. Winterhoff, a middle blocker, led the Sun Belt in hitting percentage for a third-consecutive season in 2025, while Anderson, an outside hitter, was named All-Big Ten Second Team in her final collegiate season.
BIG TEN COUNTRY
Columbus lies in the heart of Big Ten country and is home to the Ohio State Buckeyes. The team roster features eight players who spent at least one season at a Big Ten school.
- Penn State alumna Megan Lush won two national titles with the Nittany Lions. Kashauna Williams finished her collegiate career with one season at Penn State in 2022.
- Raina Terry finished third in the NCAA in attacks per set, fourth in total attacks, eighth in kills per set and ninth in total kills during her senior season with Illinois.
- Rainelle Jones set career records for total blocks (718) and block assists (654), as well as leading the NCAA in blocks per set in 2021 and 2022 at Maryland.
- Ashley Evans became the first Purdue Boilermaker in history to record 4,000 assists and 1,000 digs in a career.
- Regan Pittman-Nelson earned three All-America honors while at Minnesota, including being named an AVCA First Team All-American in 2019.
- Audrey Pak played one season in the Big Ten for UCLA and received the 2024 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
- Akasha Anderson completed her collegiate career at Purdue in 2025 and received All-Big Ten Second Team honors.
The Columbus Fury will celebrate the local arts and culture community at Arts & Culture Night on Tuesday, March 10th at Nationwide Arena when the Columbus Fury hosts the Omaha Supernovas at 7 p.m. Arrive at 6 p.m. for the pregame Artistic Block Party featuring 20 local organizations including the Columbus Symphony, Opera Columbus, BalletMet and Columbus Association for the Performing Arts. To purchase tickets for Arts & Culture Night, click here, email columbusfury@columbusfury.com or call 614-380-FURY (3879).
Major League Volleyball Stories from February 28, 2026
- Columbus Travels to San Diego for Sunday Showdown - Columbus Fury
- Game Preview: Columbus Fury at San Diego Mojo: March 1, 2026 - San Diego Mojo
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