San Diego Survives Wild Third Set to Edge Rise in Five Sets
MLV Grand Rapids Rise

San Diego Survives Wild Third Set to Edge Rise in Five Sets

Published on February 13, 2026 under Major League Volleyball (MLV)
Grand Rapids Rise News Release


Grand Rapids Rise outside hitter Carli Snyder (left) and middle blocker Alyssa Jensen
Grand Rapids Rise outside hitter Carli Snyder (left) and middle blocker Alyssa Jensen
(Grand Rapids Rise, Credit: Nicolas Carrillo)

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - From a surprising match point after a memorable third-set rally to a five-set heartbreaking defeat, the Grand Rapids Rise endured a rollercoaster of emotions Thursday night in a 3-2 home loss to the San Diego Mojo inside Van Andel Arena.

The Mojo claimed their third straight victory by set scores of 22-25, 25-16, 27-25, 25-21, 15-11, while the Rise dropped their fifth consecutive match. San Diego avenged its 3-1 home loss to the Rise on Jan. 23 and tied the all-time series at five wins apiece.

Grand Rapids finished with more kills (62-61), more blocks (12-11), and a higher hitting percentage (.204 to .200), yet suffered its first reverse sweep of the season and the fourth in franchise history.

The Rise battled back to even the opening set at 12-12 following an ace from rookie outside hitter Alexis Shelton. Later in the frame, setter Saige Ka'aha'aina-Torres and middle blocker Rhamat Alhassan teamed up for three straight rejections at the net, and on the fourth attempt finally sealed the block to give Grand Rapids a 15-14 edge.

The connection resurfaced again late in the set. After Alhassan narrowly missed a kill on a Mojo overpass on set point, Ka'aha'aina-Torres went right back to her 6-foot-4 middle on the very next rally, and Alhassan delivered a set-ending kill to secure the 25-22 win.

The offense flowed through team captain Carli Snyder, who recorded four kills in the opening frame while scoring in a variety of ways. She finished with a match-high 28 points - the most by a Rise player this season and tied for the third-best total in team history. Snyder totaled 22 kills on a team-record 72 attack attempts, adding a career-high four blocks and two aces.

Grand Rapids carried its first-set momentum into the second, racing out to a 7-2 lead capped by a Paige Briggs-Romine ace. Middle blocker Alyssa Jensen stayed perfect, notching her fourth kill on her fourth swing to force an early San Diego timeout at 11-5. Out of the break, Jensen kept the pressure on, blocking her former teammate Marin Grote to extend the lead.

Snyder punctuated the set with back-to-back aces to bring the Rise to set point at 24-14, and a Mojo service error closed out the frame.

A wild third set was tied at 9-9 before San Diego used a 6-0 run to create separation. The Rise later found themselves trailing 23-16, but answered with an improbable 9-1 surge to storm back and reach match point at 25-24 on Snyder's 14th kill of the night.

The Mojo survived, denying the first Grand Rapids sweep of the season by capitalizing on a Rise service error to extend the set. An ace from Taylor Sandbothe and a kill from former Rise middle Kayla Caffey followed to close it out, 27-25.

After recording nine blocks through the first three sets, Grand Rapids managed just three over the final two. San Diego's 6-foot-5 opposite hitter Jovana Brakočević found the seams throughout the night, finishing with 18 kills on .389 hitting to go with 15 digs.

Briggs-Romine kept the Rise within striking distance in the fourth set, sending a kill into the crowd to give Grand Rapids a 16-15 lead at the second media timeout. The set was last tied at 20-20 before the Mojo used a 5-1 run to pull away and force a fifth frame.

In the tiebreaker set, the Mojo scored seven of the first 10 points. The Rise once again recovered to get within a point at 8-7, 9-8, 10-9, and 12-11. San Diego scored the final three points on a block and kill from Brakočević before a Rise attack error ended the match.

Notes

Former Rise players Grote, Caffey, and Shannon Scully all saw action for the Mojo. Grote and Scully earned starts and combined for three points, while Caffey came off the bench to contribute 10 points on nine kills (.438) and one block.

Snyder now has 426 kills, moving within four of breaking Claire Chaussee's franchise record of 429 for the most kills in a Rise uniform. The performance marked her third career 20-plus kill match and her first of the season.

Briggs-Romine tied her season high with 19 digs and added 15 kills on .244 hitting.

GR 25 25 25 21 11 - 2

SD 22 16 27 25 15 - 3

Team Leaders

GR: Kills - Carli Snyder 22, Paige Briggs-Romine 15, Rhamat Alhassan 9; Assists - Saige Ka'aha'aina-Torres 53, Elena Oglivie 3; Aces - Snyder 2, Briggs-Romine 1, Alexis Shelton 1; Blocks - Snyder 4, Alhassan 3, Alyssa Jensen 3; Digs - Briggs-Romine 19, Oglivie 14, Snyder 12, Shelton 10.

SD: Kills - Jovana Brakočević 18, Grace Loberg 14, Kayla Caffey 9; Assists - Marlie Monserez 56, Carly Graham 3; Aces - Brakočević 1, Loberg 1, Taylor Sandbothe 1; Blocks - Loberg 4, Brakočević 3; Digs - Shara Venegas 18, Brakočević 15, Loberg 9.

A - 1,901

Record / Next Match

Grand Rapids: 2-7 / Sat., Feb. 14 vs. Atlanta Vibe, 7 p.m.

San Diego: 4-6 / Sun., Feb. 15 at Indy Ignite, 3 p.m.

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Images from this story

Grand Rapids Rise outside hitter Carli Snyder (left) and middle blocker Alyssa Jensen
Grand Rapids Rise outside hitter Carli Snyder (left) and middle blocker Alyssa Jensen
(Nicolas Carrillo)		   



Major League Volleyball Stories from February 13, 2026


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