The San Diego Mojo fell to the Atlanta Vibe in four sets (15-25, 26-24, 17-25, 20-25) on Thursday night at Viejas Arena. The Vibe improved to 4-2, while the Mojo dropped to 3-3 on the early season.
Despite the loss, the Mojo received a great performance from setter DaYeong Lee, who recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 34 assists and 17 digs.
San Diego also had commendable performances from its two All-Star-caliber leaders, as middle blocker Ronika Stone co-led the team with 14 points, and outside hitter Kendra Dahlke recorded a team-high 13 kills.
The Vibe dominated the first set from start to finish. Atlanta took control early and had four separate three-point runs throughout the set to grow a sizable 19-11 lead over San Diego. A few self-inflicted service errors derailed a comeback effort in the first set for the Mojo, as Atlanta had two aces courtesy of the reigning Pro Volleyball Federation MVP, Leah Edmond, that ultimately sunk San Diego. The Vibe took set one in a commanding fashion, winning 25-15.
The Mojo fell behind early in set two but was always within arm’s reach of the Vibe. The Mojo trailed 14-11 before winning a major rally that swung the momentum in San Diego’s favor. The point jump-started a 6-1 streak that had the Mojo up 17-15 in the set. Stone was at the forefront of the Mojo’s run in which she tallied five points; however, the Vibe didn’t shy away from San Diego’s valiant effort.
Atlanta tied the game at 17-17 before the two squads exchanged the next six points and found the game all-knotted up at 20-20. The set continued in its back-and-forth fashion as the game was tied once again at 24-24. An Atlanta service error, coupled with a Lee block, ultimately put the set away and led to San Diego’s first-ever set win against the Vibe.
San Diego entered set three with all the momentum, which led to an early 10-7 lead; yet, like it had been all game, the Vibe responded to all the Mojo’s streaks. A three-point run by Atlanta tied the game at 10-10, and the two teams once again traded points. The game was all square at 14-14 before an 8-2 run by Atlanta put them in the driver’s seat. Despite a pair of four-point third-set performances by Dahlke and Moore, the Mojo fell flat in the second half of set three, leading to a 25-17 set victory for Atlanta.
Atlanta jumped out to a quick lead in set four, which was aided by a five-point streak that had the Vibe leading 9-4. Despite an impressive fourth set from rookie outside hitter Maya Tabron, the Mojo couldn’t recover from the early deficit. The Mojo had a late-game run, cutting Atlanta’s lead to three, before losing 25-20.
Next up, the Mojo travel to Michigan to square off with the Grand Rapids Rise on Sunday, Feb. 2. First serve from Van Andel Arena is at 1 p.m. and the game will stream live on YouTube.
Photo by San Diego Mojo/Ryan Young
