Ali Bastianelli is playing the best volleyball of her season at the perfect time. The San Diego Mojo middle blocker continued her dominance at the net and from the service line in a match victory over the Columbus Fury on Tuesday night.
The Mojo clinched the fourth and final postseason spot with their 25-22, 25-21, 19-25, 25-21 win over the Fury. It concludes an astounding change of fortune: San Diego started the season 1-5, and seemed destined to lurk near the bottom of the PVF standings. The Mojo are 8-4 in their last 12 matches.
The Mojo will play either Omaha or Atlanta in the semifinals on May 15 as part of the Pro Volleyball Championship.
Bastianelli had 3 blocks, 5 kills, and two aces (on consecutive serves in the first set), as she helped lead the Mojo to secure a playoff berth in the first PVF season. Last Saturday in a crucial win at Grand Rapids, Bastianelli set a PVF record with 10 blocks.
The Fury were eliminated from postseason contention, losing their third straight match after valiantly fighting to get into the playoff race in April. Columbus has lost nine of their last 11 sets, going back to their last three matches.
Fury head coach Ángel Pérez shuffled his lineup all night, desperately seeking a combination that could equal success. But, the San Diego attack, led by Lindsay Vander Weide (16 kills) and Temi Thomas-Alaira (20 kills), was too much for Columbus in the final home game for San Diego.
San Diego has two more matches in the regular season: at Orlando and at Columbus.
