The volleyball season keeps the momentum going after the NCAA, with leagues like LOVB and PVF bringing in NCAA stars to keep the action hot. Leading the San Diego Mojo this season is the 2024 PVF Coach of the Year, Tayyiba Haneef-Park, a three-time Olympian who’s got the Mojo roaring. Their home games are played in the middle of San Diego State University’s campus at Viejas Arena. Earlier this year, in November, the Mojo recruited one of the Huskers’ middle blockers—to the team mid-season.

And, oh, Leyla Blackwell? She’s definitely one to watch this season! The former Nebraska Husker brought her skills from her collegiate team, the Cornhuskers, to the San Diego Mojo to compete in the Pro Volleyball Federation. The Mojo began their season on January 9 at Addition Financial Arena, and there was Leyla out there performing. However, the Mojo could not bring home the victory, losing to Orlando right in the first match of PVF 2025.

San Diego Mojo loses their season opener!

Lincoln Arneal dropped this news on January 9, sharing the details on Orlando’s dominant start to the second PVF season. He posted, “Orlando opens the second PVF season with a sweep of San Diego 25-18, 25-18, 25-22. Anae Adora led the Valkyries with 14 kills and 9 digs. Maya Tabron and Kayla Lund recorded 10 kills each for the Mojo. Leyla Blackwell put up 7 kills on 12 swings.” 

The San Diego Mojo emerged to the 2025 season on a low note after they lost their opener to the Orlando Valkyries in straight sets 3-0, 25-18, 25-18, 25-22, at Addition Financial Arena. Leading the team, Kayla Lund played a decent double-double set with 10 kills and 10 digs, while a rookie, Maya Tabron, who played her first professional volleyball match, also contributed with 10 kills and 8 digs. DaYeong Lee also did a great job with 34 assists and 10 digs to achieve a double figure. Shara Venegas was the Mojo’s leader in digs with 13, and newcomer Leyla Blackwell contributed 7 kills, with a .420 hitting average.

Ronika Stone added five kills and one block to the team effort. Although many of the Mojo players had their standout performances, their hitting was sorely lacking (.170 to .320) and unfortunately for them, the Mojo player committed ten service mistakes. But we should not underestimate San Diego Mojo yet because they have a fire in their belly, and after experiencing a good season last year, they are ready to make a comeback.

The Mojos want to win it!

After an impressive first season in the Pro Volleyball Federation, the San Diego Mojo is gearing up for an even stronger second season. They played 18 matches overall and won 12 of them and thus advanced to the semifinals. They gave their best in the semifinals against the second-seed Omaha Supernovas but lost in a very close match in five sets of 20-25, 16-25, 25-18, 25-8, and 15-11.

But the loss wasn’t total, as Coach Tayibba Haneef-Park was able to capture the Coach of the Year award while setter Nootsara Tomkom was awarded the Setter of the Year. Now that they have their sights set on the prize, they are more focused than ever. “We’re hungry, we want to be back there. We’ve tasted it and now we want to come back with it all. The energy in the gym is really high and we all have a Championship mindset and we want to bring home that trophy this year,” said Tayibba Haneef-Park as per a report by Fox 5 San Diego published on January 3.

Sure, their first game of the season ended in a tough loss, but the San Diego Mojo’s aren’t backing down. They’re ready to bounce back and prove they’ve got what it takes. Next up? They’ll be facing the Columbus Fury on January 11 at Nationwide Arena, and they’re hungry for a win.