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San
Diego Mojo Storm Back for Historic Reverse
Sweep at Grand Rapids
GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan, February 12, 2026.– The San Diego Mojo
delivered a historic comeback Thursday night, erasing a two-set
deficit to defeat the Grand Rapids Rise 22-25, 16-25, 27-25, 25-21,
15-11 at Van Andel Arena.
San
Diego entered the night 0-19 when trailing two sets to none. The
Mojo left with its first-ever reverse sweep, its first road win of
the season and its third consecutive victory overall, matching the
franchise record set over the final three matches of the 2024
regular season.
The
match began with promise as the Mojo raced to a 3-1 lead behind a
Jovana Brakočević kill, Grace Loberg service ace and Shannon Scully
kill. The Rise answered quickly, stringing together multiple runs to
seize control. San Diego stayed within striking distance late,
trimming the deficit to one at 22-21, but Grand Rapids closed strong
to take the opening set, 25-22.
Momentum continued to swing the home team’s way in the second. The
Rise built a 16-8 advantage at the media timeout and stretched the
lead to nine points. Kills from Morgan Lewis and Maya Tabron briefly
slowed the surge, but Grand Rapids secured a 25-16 win to move ahead
2-0 and put the Mojo on the brink.
San
Diego responded in the third with renewed energy, using a six-point
run capped by a Loberg block to give the Mojo a 13-9 lead. Kayla
Caffey and Brakočević provided steady offense as the Mojo built a
late cushion, only to see the Rise claw back. Grand Rapids reached
match point at 25-24, but a service error brought the teams level.
An ace from Taylor Sandbothe gave San Diego set point, and Caffey
finished it with a decisive swing for a 27-25 victory that shifted
the match’s momentum.
The
fourth set unfolded as a back-and-forth battle, with neither side
able to separate. After the Rise held a narrow edge at the media
timeout, San Diego leaned on its block and defensive pressure.
Loberg delivered key stops at the net, and Allison Jacobs recorded
her first career point during a pivotal late stretch. Consecutive
Grand Rapids errors pushed the Mojo to set point, and Loberg sealed
the 25-21 win to force a decisive fifth.
San
Diego carried that momentum into the final frame. Caffey opened the
scoring for the third straight set, and the Mojo surged ahead 8-4 at
the side switch behind kills from Brakočević, Jacobs and Sandbothe.
The Rise made one last push, trimming the deficit to 12-11, but
Brakočević rose for a block and followed with a cross-court kill to
bring up match point. An attacking error by Grand Rapids completed
the 15-11 comeback.
Setter Marlie Monserez orchestrated the offense with 56 assists, the
sixth-most in franchise history and her third 50-assist performance
of the season. She added eight digs and two kills in the balanced
attack, which saw 12 different Mojo players record at least one
kill.
Brakočević led all Mojo players with 22 points and 18 kills on 36
swings, hitting .500 with a .438 efficiency, while adding 15 digs
for her first double-double of the season. Loberg contributed 19
points on 14 kills, four blocks and one ace, along with nine digs.
Caffey tallied 10 points on nine kills and one block, hitting .438,
and libero Shara Venegas anchored the defense with a team-high 18
digs.
With
the win, the Mojo improved to 4-6 in the year, while the Rise dipped
to 2-7.
The
Mojo will look to carry their momentum into the finale of the road
swing this Sunday, Feb. 15, when they face the Indy Ignite at noon
PT. San Diego aims to extend its season-best winning streak to four
matches in a contest that will air live on KUSI. |