The San Diego Mojo fell to the Orlando Valkyries in four sets, 25-23, 25-23, 23-25, 25-12, on Wednesday night at Viejas Arena. The Mojo fell to 6-12 on the year, while the Valkyries continued their strong season, improving to 12-6 on the year.
Rookie outside hitter Maya Tabron had another stellar outing for the Mojo tallying a co-match-high 19 points, collecting 15 kills and four blocks while recording 13 digs four her second-straight double-double performance and fourth of the year.
Middle blocker Ronika Stone extended her string of double-digit point performances to four-straight games with a 14-point outing, courtesy of 11 kills and three blocks while hitting .450 on the night.
Setter DaYeong Lee posted her team-leading 11th double-double of the season with 41 assists and 11 digs while also collecting two blocks and libero Shara Venegas had a match-high 22 digs.
The Mojo got off to an early 3-1 lead in set one before the Valkyries rattled off four points to regain control of the game. Orlando extended their lead to as much as three points before San Diego fought back into the set to tie the game at 11-11. The game remained close throughout, as the Mojo only trailed by two points heading into the media timeout. San Diego received steady first-set contributions from Tabron, Lee, and outside hitter Kendra Dahlke, who combined for 13 points. After the media timeout, the Mojo and Valkyries continued to exchange points, with the score swinging back and forth from advantage Orlando to a tied game. In the end, Orlando stitched together consecutive points to sink the Mojo in the first set, 25-23.
Set two started off in the same manner as set one, in which San Diego jumped out to a minimal lead before Orlando took control of the pace. However, the Mojo were able to fight back in the middle of the set and stall the Valkyries’ attack. San Diego halted Orlando’s momentum and capitalized, taking a 16-14 lead into the media break. Out of the break, the Valkyries got a major boost from Natalie Foster who recorded back-to-back aces to jump ahead of San Diego. This forced Mojo head coach Tayyiba Haneef-Park to burn a timeout. The Mojo came out of the break determined and knotted the game back up at 20-20. Orlando and San Diego continued to fight down the stretch, but in the end, the Valkyries made the big plays when they were needed and edged out another 25-23 victory.
The third set of the game played like the two previous frames. The Mojo stuck around for the majority of set three, holding a 9-7 lead in the early portion of the set, yet Orlando displayed why they are one of the top teams in the Pro Volleyball Federation. The Valkyries erupted for a 6-2 run, giving them a four-point advantage heading into the media timeout. However, San Diego would not go down without a fight. With middle blocker Reagan Pittman at the service helm, the Mojo went on a five-point run to take a 17-16 lead. A pair of self-inflicted errors looked to anchor San Diego’s comeback effort; yet, with their backs against the wall, the Mojo rallied three straight points to flip the set on its head and take a controlling 24-22 lead. Ultimately, a Tabron kill ended the set and gave the Mojo a 25-23 set three win.
After the disappointing end to the previous set for Orlando, the Valkyries came out hot to open the fourth. A 7-2 run to start the fourth set’s action forced Haneef-Park to call her first timeout. In the end, the Mojo had no answers for the Valkyries in the last set, who extended upon their lead and never looked back. Orlando closed out the set with a 25-12 victory to end the match in four.
Next up, San Diego looks to get back on track next Friday, as they travel to Georgia State Convocation Center to face the Atlanta Vibe. First serve is at 4 p.m. and the game will stream live on VBTV.
Photo by Craig Kerstetter/San Diego Mojo
