Mojo Fall in Season Opener at Orlando
January 9, 2025 - Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF)
San Diego Mojo News Release
ORLANDO, Fla. - San Diego Mojo dropped the 2025 season opener to the Orlando Valkyries in three sets, 25-18, 25-18, 25-22, on Thursday at Additional Financial Arena.
Kayla Lund opened the season with a double-double, co-leading the Mojo with 10 kills while also registering 10 digs. Rookie Maya Tabron, who started in her professional debut, also collected 10 kills and added eight digs, while DaYeong Lee posted a double-double with a match-leading 34 assists and 10 digs.
Shara Venegas topped the Mojo with 13 digs and rookie Leyla Blackwell had a strong showing in her first career start, hitting .420 with seven kills, while Ronika Stone added five kills and one block.
San Diego was outhit in the match .170 to .320 and undone by self-inflicted mistakes, included 10 service errors.
Lund kicked off the 2025 campaign by scoring the first point of the season, opening a back-and-forth set that saw the sides split the first 16 points until Orlando pulled ahead 10-8. Stone cut the deficit to one with a huge swing off a fantastic set from Lee, as the Mojo scored three of the net four points to tie the score at 11-11. Orlando put together a three-point run that was matched by the Mojo, capped by a Regan Pittman kill when she dropped a ball in the middle of the Valkyries' defense. The hosts won five of the next six points to move ahead 19-15, forcing a Mojo timeout. A nice dig by Lee that Lund closed out for a kill put the Mojo down three out of the break, but San Diego would not get any closer, dropping the first set of the season, 25-18.
The Valkyries grabbed a 2-0 lead in the match with a 25-18 win in the second set. The start of set two was similar to the opening frame with the teams trading the first six points before Orlando opened up a two-point lead, 5-3. San Diego kept the scoring close early on, trailing by two points after a Lund slam cut Orlando's lead to 10-8. But a run by Orlando put the home side up 13-8 and then extended the advantage to six at 20-14. A kill by Blackwell and an error by Orlando had the Mojo down by four, 20-16, however it was all Valkyries from there as they closed out the set on a 5-2 run.
San Diego came out on fire in set three, capturing the first three points, then opening a four-point margin after a Stone kill and an ace from Pittman gave the Mojo a 5-1 advantage. After an Orlando attacking error gave the Mojo their largest lead at 7-4, the Valkyries began to chip away, tallying four of the next five points to even the score, 8-8. A slam by Tabron and a kill from Kendra Dahlke put San Diego ahead 10-8, but Orlando scored the next two points, and the Mojo would not lead again. The sides battled throughout the remainder of the match, as the Mojo found their rhythm and were able to string together a series of successful rallies, trailing 21-20 late in the set until Orlando completed the sweep with a 25-22 win.
Next up, the Mojo travel to Ohio to square off with the Columbus Fury on Saturday, Jan. 11. First serve from Nationwide Arena is at 4:00 p.m. PT and the game will stream live on YouTube.
San Diego opens the 2025 home schedule at Viejas Arena on Thursday, Jan. 16 at 7:05 p.m. against Orlando. Fans can secure tickets for the game HERE. For more information, contact the team at tickets@sandiegomojovb.com or call (619) 984-6656 (MOJO).
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Pro Volleyball Federation Stories from January 9, 2025
- Valkyries Take Down Mojo in Three - Orlando Valkyries
- Mojo Fall in Season Opener at Orlando - San Diego Mojo
- Vibe Travel to Omaha for First Game of the 2025 Season - Atlanta Vibe
- Game Preview: San Diego Mojo at Orlando Valkyries: January 9, 2025 - San Diego Mojo
- Supernovas Battle Vibe on Banner Night for 2025 Season Opener; Travel to Grand Rapids on Sunday - Omaha Supernovas
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