Mojo Continue Surge with Road Sweep of Rise

GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan, February 26, 2026. – The San Diego Mojo earned their first sweep of the season Thursday night, defeating the Grand Rapids Rise, 26-24, 25-21, 25-19, at Van Andel Arena.

San Diego has now won five of its last six matches, equaling the best stretch in team history, and improved to 6-7 on the season. Grand Rapids fell to 3-9. The Mojo have also won six consecutive sets against the Rise, dating back to a Feb. 12 reverse sweep, and now lead the all-time series 6-5.

Outside hitter Maya Tabron recorded a match-high 13 kills to go with nine digs. Setter Marlie Monserez tallied her 10th double-double of the season with 32 assists and 10 digs, while libero Shara Venegas added 16 digs and four assists.

San Diego opened the match with kills from McKenna Vicini and Jovana Brakočević for a 2-0 lead in the first set. The teams traded points through the early stages before a Monserez kill put the Mojo ahead 7-5. After Grand Rapids evened the score, San Diego responded with a four-point run, highlighted by blocks from Grace Loberg and Vicini, to build an 11-7 advantage.

The Mojo extended the lead to 16-10 before the Rise used a four-point run to close within two. Grand Rapids later tied the set at 19-19 and erased a 24-22 deficit to force extra points. A Loberg kill gave San Diego set point again, and a Monserez block secured the 26-24 win.

Monserez opened the second set with an ace as San Diego surged to a 9-3 lead. Tabron paced the early offense with multiple kills, helping the Mojo maintain an 8-3 advantage at the media timeout. Grand Rapids answered with a six-point run to tie the set at 9-9 and later moved ahead 13-11.

San Diego countered with a decisive 10-1 run to regain control. A Tabron kill pushed the lead to 21-14, and Morgan Lewis closed the set with a kill to seal a 25-21 victory and a 2-0 match lead.

The third set was tightly contested early, featuring 11 ties, the last at 14-14, with neither team holding more than a one-point advantage. The Mojo broke through with back-to-back points to take a 16-14 lead and did not relinquish it. Kills from Brakočević and Tabron helped extend the margin to 20-16, and a Vicini ace pushed the lead to 23-17. Brakočević finished the match with a block as San Diego completed the sweep, 25-19.

San Diego returns home Sunday, March 1, to host the Columbus Fury at 4 .m. PT at Viejas Arena, while Grand Rapids (3-9) visit Orlando Valkyries at 3 p.m.