The end was always coming for the San Diego Mojo. The only question was when.
Nine days after announcing the MLV franchise would cease operations following the 2026 season, the Mojo’s three-year run officially ended Thursday night in Frisco, Texas, with a four-set semifinal loss to the expansion Dallas Pulse, 28-30, 25-18, 25-17, 25-10 — a team enjoying its inaugural season while San Diego played its last.
After opening the season 1-6 before rebounding to win 14 of their next 20 regular-season
matches and clinch a playoff berth, Mojo middle blocker Taylor Sandbothe described the late
surge against the backdrop of the franchise’s impending closure as “charging up a hill.”
Sandbothe credited head coach Alisha Childress for setting the tone inside the locker room,
emphasizing a constant “and what” mentality.
“It’s a belief she has instilled in us — we are playing for something bigger than us,” Sandbothe
said. “Everyone’s mindset is, ‘What can we do for the team? And what?’”
Setter Marlie Monserez echoed that sentiment, pointing to both the coaching staff and the
daily competitive environment as key factors in the team’s turnaround.
“She has been so amazing, and all of the coaches,” Monserez said. “We go in every day trying to get a little bit better. The start isn’t how you finish a season.”
Monserez also pointed to the group’s internal drive as part of what fueled the second-half
surge.
“We just are a group that loves to compete,” she said after a late April win. “We played Boggle
this morning and everyone was screaming at each other. We’re just super competitive from
practice to the court.”
Closing their third season with a return to the postseason, the Mojo reached the league
semifinals for the second time in franchise history, after also doing so in their inaugural 2024
campaign.
In the loss, San Diego was paced offensively by Grace Loberg, who finished with 14 points on 13 kills and a block while adding 10 digs for a double-double. Longtime professional standout
Jovana Brakočević added 13 points on 11 kills, an ace and a block in the final match of her
career, along with eight digs.
Taylor Sandbothe hit .368 with seven kills on 19 swings, adding two blocks and seven digs, while Maya Tabron contributed 11 points on nine kills, an ace and a block, and led the team with 13 digs. Monserez finished with 32 assists, and libero Shara Venegas added 10 digs.
San Diego opened strong, overcoming an early deficit to take a 17-14 lead in the first set behind consecutive kills from Loberg and Brakočević, along with a block and ace from Marin Grote. The set remained tight into extra points before the Mojo held off multiple set points to take it 30-28.
Dallas, however, responded with a six-point run early in the second set to seize control and
even the match with a 25-18 win. The Pulse carried that momentum forward, taking the third
set 25-17 and closing the match with a 25-10 fourth-set victory.
“Volleyball is really unique,” Sandbothe said. “If one thing isn’t working, you can try something
else. You can go head first and contribute what you can.”
Following the regular season, Grote and Venegas both earned All-MLV honors, with Grote
named to the First Team and Venegas to the Second Team. It marked the first such recognition
for both players and the second time in franchise history the Mojo placed multiple athletes on
league postseason teams.
Grote anchored the net with a career year in blocks, aces and overall production, while
Venegas set franchise records in a dominant defensive season that ranked among the league’s
best.
Is there a way forward for the Mojo? The door is open – just a crack.
“Major League Volleyball remains committed to San Diego and will lead the effort to identify
potential new investors to carry the Mojo forward,” the Mojo’s April 28 statement read. “We are immensely proud of the front-office team assembled over the past six months and are
profoundly grateful to Coach Childress, her staff and this remarkable group of players. They
turned an underdog story into a championship-caliber reality, matching the best play in league history.”
