San Diego Mojo's Grote Named All-MLV First Team, Venegas Earns Second Team Honors
MLV San Diego Mojo

San Diego Mojo's Grote Named All-MLV First Team, Venegas Earns Second Team Honors

Published on May 5, 2026 under Major League Volleyball (MLV)
San Diego Mojo News Release


SAN DIEGO - San Diego Mojo middle blocker Marin Grote was named All-MLV First Team, while libero Shara Venegas earned All-MLV Second Team honors, the league announced Tuesday.

The selections mark the first career All-MLV honors for both players and the second time in franchise history the Mojo have had multiple All-MLV selections in the same season. Grote also becomes the first player in team history to earn All-MLV First Team honors.

San Diego has now had four players earn All-MLV recognition in franchise history. Ronika Stone was a two-time Second Team selection, while Nootsara Tomkom earned Second Team honors in 2024.

Both Grote and Venegas add All-MLV honors to their 2026 MLV All-Star selections.

Grote delivered a career-best season in the middle, tying for third in the league with 51 blocks and ranking seventh with 0.50 blocks per set. She also finished 10th in the league with 17 aces and 0.17 aces per set, both the second-best single-season marks in franchise history. The middle blocker started all 28 matches and appeared in 103 sets, setting career highs in points (260), kills (192), assists (10) and digs (90), while tying a career high in aces. She also established career highs in points per set (2.52) and kills per set (1.86), and posted a .286 hitting efficiency on a 38.9 kill percentage (192 kills on 494 attempts).

Her 51 total blocks marked the second-highest total of her career and tied for the fourth-most in a single season in franchise history, while her 192 kills rank as the second-most in a season by a Mojo middle blocker.

Venegas anchored the Mojo defense with a record-setting campaign, starting all 28 matches and appearing in 110 sets. She broke her own franchise records with 431 digs and 3.92 digs per set, both of which ranked second in the league during the 2026 season.

She recorded double-digit digs in 24 of 28 matches, including seven performances of 20 or more digs, highlighted by a 28-dig effort in a five-set win over Dallas on April 5.

Venegas was named MLV Player of the Week on April 7 after leading the Mojo to wins over Columbus and Dallas, totaling 39 digs and seven assists across the two matches. Her 28 digs against Dallas were tied for the most in a five-set match by any league player this season and the second-most in franchise history. She became the first player in franchise history to earn multiple Player of the Week honors.

Anchored by Venegas in the back row and Grote at the net, San Diego led the league in total digs (1,944) and digs per set (17.51), with the total ranking second in league history and the average the best since 2024. The Mojo also ranked fourth in the league in total blocks (267) and blocks per set (2.41), and third in opponent hitting efficiency (.218).

San Diego finished the regular season at 15-13 and will enter the MLV Championship as the No. 3 seed. The Mojo will face No. 2 seed Dallas in the semifinal round Thursday, with first serve set for following the conclusion of the Indy-Omaha match, which begins at 4 p.m. PT. The match will be broadcast live on ION.

MLV Championship Tickets on Sale: Tickets for the 2026 MLV Championship, set for Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas, are on sale through Ticketmaster. Prices start at $19 and include access to both the semifinal and championship rounds. For more information, visit ProVolleyball.com.

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