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PVF San Diego Mojo

Mojo Drops Four-Setter to Orlando

January 17, 2025 - Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF)
San Diego Mojo News Release


SAN DIEGO - San Diego Mojo dropped their 2025 home opener to the Orlando Valkyries in four sets (25-23, 20-25, 25-17, 25-15) on Thursday night at Viejas Arena. The Valkyries improved to 2-1, while the Mojo fell to 1-2 on the early year.

Outside hitter Kendra Dahlke posted a double-double, with a game-leading 18 digs, while also registering 14 kills. Maya Tabron had a strong performance as well, which was highlighted by her team-leading 15 kills and 16 points in her home debut.

The Mojo also received a strong performance from Ronika Stone, who recorded eight points of her own. Setter DaYeong Lee led the Mojo with 37 assists and libero Shara Venegas recorded 16 digs.

After sharing the first 10 points of the home opener, the Valkyries grew a three-point lead that the Mojo attempted to recover from the remained of the set. Dahlke was instrumental in the Mojo's quest for a first set victory, posting a team leading eight kills within the first set alone. In the end, self-inflicted mistakes derailed the comeback attempt, as four service errors from San Diego led to Orlando claiming a set one victory, 25-23.

The second set started off in the exact same manner as the previous one, with the teams holding a 5-5 tie after the first 10 points and continuing to go back-and-forth through the 30th point. Then, with Lee at the service helm, the Mojo collected a 5-0 run that gave them enough insurance to last the remainder of the second set. The Mojo also played a much more polished set than the Valkyries, who tallied seven service errors that ultimately plagued their attempts of a set two victory. While the self-imposed mistakes from Orlando boosted the Mojo's lead, Tabron was everywhere on the court for San Diego. The rookie outside hitter from SMU had six digs and five kills alone in the second set that powered San Diego to a 25-20 set victory.

After a sloppy second set from the Valkyries, Orlando came out of halftime with a tightened focus. They jumped out to an early advantage and held that edge into the media timeout, with a 15-10 lead. The five-point deficit was too much to overcome in the third set, despite Stone and Lee's heroic efforts, as San Diego dropped the third set, 25-17.

The fourth set was eerily similar to set three, in which the Valkyries took a commanding lead before the media timeout, which was enough to fend off the resilient Mojo. The Valkyries had 15-10, 20-11 leads in the fourth that sank the Mojo's comeback efforts and ultimately decided the game. The final score from the fourth set was 25- 15.

Next up, the Mojo travel to Nebraska to square off with the defending Pro Volleyball Federation champion Omaha Supernovas on Sunday, Jan. 19. First serve from the CHI Health Center is at 1:00 p.m. PT and the game will stream live on YouTube.

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