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.
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