Mojo drops five-set loss to Atlanta 

The San Diego Mojo dropped a heartbreaker to the Atlanta Vibe on April 3, falling in five sets, 21-25, 25-17, 25-13, 15-25, 15-12, at Viejas Arena. The Mojo (7-14) led the match with 15 blocks and seven aces but could not prevent the Vibe (15-9) from winning their ninth consecutive match.

Newcomer Yaasmeen Bedart-Ghani was the leading scorer for San Diego in her home debut with the Mojo, tallying 16 points by posting a team-high 14 kills and adding two service aces while also collecting six digs.

Middle blocker Regan Pittman continued to be a dominant presence in the middle of the Mojo lineup, collecting six blocks, six kills and a pair of aces for a 14-point night, while fellow middle blocker Ronika Stone had 10 points behind six blocks and four kills.

Maya Tabron had another impact performance, collecting 12 points with nine kills, a block, and two aces. Setter Sarah Sponcil registered her third-straight double-double, leading the team with 41 assists and 16 digs.

San Diego’s seven service aces were a season high and equaled the franchise record, while the 15 blocks marked the seventh-straight match hitting double-digits in the category and the 10th time in the last 11 matches.

The Mojo took hold of an early lead in set one, forcing Atlanta Vibe head coach Kayla Banwarth to burn her first timeout. San Diego led by as many as four, but out of the timeout, the Vibe responded to the Mojo’s early run. Yet, heading into the media break, San Diego still held a 16-13 advantage. Out of the break, San Diego got a stellar string of plays from Kendra Dahlke and Tabron, who helped the Mojo extend their lead to five points. The pair of outside hitters combined for 12 first-set points. This forced Banwarth and the Vibe to burn their second timeout of the set, but in the end, it was no match for the Mojo. San Diego ended the set strong and secured a 25-21 first set win.

The second set started off eerily similar to that of the first set, which saw the Mojo carry an early four-point lead. However, Atlanta had an impressive five-point run of their own in order to take their first lead of the game at 12-11. The match remained tight all throughout the second set, as both teams exchanged single-point leads. That was the case until the Vibe rallied off three straight points to hold an 18-15 advantage. From that point on, Atlanta never looked back and ended the set on a 4-0 run that saw them claim a 25-17 set two win.

The Vibe controlled the third set from the get-go, and San Diego appeared to have no answers. Atlanta started the set on an 8-2 run and saw the lead balloon to 16-9 at the media timeout. Despite the lopsided scoreboard, the Mojo received a good effort from Bedart-Ghani, whose four points gave the Mojo a chance, but the Vibe were too dominant in the third, as they put away San Diego 25-13.

The fourth set was a complete role reversal from the previous set. This time around, it was the Mojo who took firm control early in the set and never looked back. San Diego extended their lead to as big as six points before the Vibe cut that lead in half. After Atlanta started to show signs of life, a Stone kill tilted the momentum back in favor of the Mojo. From there, San Diego raced out once again to a six-point lead, as the set stood 16-10 at the media break. The Mojo continued their dominance out of the stoppage and led 20-12 before the Vibe burned their last timeout of the set. Bedart-Ghani continued to be the leading force behind the Mojo’s success. It was all San Diego in set four, as the Mojo were victorious 25-15.

The winner-take-all fifth set started off back-and-forth with the Mojo and the Vibe trading off the first eight points of the set. Following this, a 4-1 run by Atlanta saw the Vibe have an 8-5 lead heading halfway through the last set. The Vibe continued their dominance and showed their experience in tight games, as this marks the fifth five-set victory of the season for Atlanta. In the end, reigning league MVP Leah Edmond sank San Diego, as the Vibe reigned winners of the fifth set, 15-12.

Next up, San Diego looks to get back on track this Saturday, as they host the league-leading Omaha Supernovas at Viejas Arena. First serve is at 6 p.m. and the game will air live on KUSI.