San Diego Mojo setter Da-yeong Lee had a kill and a block in an eight-point run that turned the tides of the third set that ended up a four-set win against the league’s last unbeaten team.
“She’s kind of a quiet leader and she leads in her actions,” middle blocker Lauren Page said. “It gets us all going, so it’s huge. It gave us a lot of momentum.”
Lee’s kill was San Diego’s 16th point of the set and the block was their 19th point which gave them their first lead of the set after they fell behind 7-2 earlier in the set. They won it, 30-28, in their first extended set beyond 25 points this season.
They were both her second kill and second block of the season.
The winner of the third set won the whole match in each of the Mojo’s first five matches this season.
It was the first meeting between the Mojo and expansion team Indy Ignite who suffered their first loss in franchise history at Viejas Arena on Friday night.
The Mojo dropped the first set, 25-18, after they committed seven errors to Indy’s three errors.
Opposite hitter Jenaisya Moore had eight kills and served during a four-point run in the second set that San Diego won 25-17 to even the match.
They finished the second set on a 9-3 run that included five and three consecutive points.
The Mojo came out of the intermission and fell behind 7-2 in the third set but came back within one point at 12-11 and took the first lead of the set at 19-18.
“Just kind of refining some block and defense tactics,” head coach Tayyiba Haneef-Park said about what the message was during the third-set timeouts.
They led 21-18, 26-25 and 27-26 before they finished with three straight points to win their first extended set beyond 25 points this season.
San Diego confidently won the fourth set, 25-19, with help from a five-point run that separated them from the Ignite after they exchanged points through the set’s first 14 points.
Up next: The Mojo hosts the Atlanta Vibe on Thursday, Jan. 30 with the first serve set for 7:05 p.m. PT at Viejas Arena.