San Diego’s experiment with women’s professional volleyball is ending after just three seasons.

The San Diego Mojo will play one final home match on Thursday night before heading to Dallas for the Major League Volleyball playoffs. The club announced Tuesday that it will not return for the 2027 season.

The club posted to Instagram that it was “heartbroken to announce” that Thursday marks the final home game in franchise history.

Owner Gary Jacobs said in a statement that he wanted the Mojo to take the 2027 season off while building a long-term plan for the franchise, but that “the league believes a different direction is required.” MLV remains committed to San Diego and will “lead the effort to identify potential new investors” in the club, the Mojo said.

The Mojo are offering free tickets to fans who want to attend Thursday’s match at Viejas Arena. Fans can claim up to eight per person by visiting the team’s social media profiles and clicking the attached link.

The timing is particularly cruel. The Mojo (14-12) have thrived under first-year coach Alisha Childress, winning 13 of their last 19 matches and qualifying for the MLV Championship, a four-team tournament that will determine the league champion. The Mojo will play either the Dallas Pulse or Indy Ignite in the May 7 semifinals, with the winner advancing to the championship match.

The Mojo debuted in 2024, with a high-profile owner — beach volleyball star Kerri Walsh-Jennings — and a roster that included a mix of native San Diegans and international stars. Walsh-Jennings sold the club to Jacobs following the inaugural season, and the PVF merged with Major League Volleyball in January.

The Mojo’s shuttering is another blow to professional sports in the heart of San Diego.

Major League Rugby’s San Diego Legion moved north following the 2025 season, rebranding as the California Legion. The San Diego Sockers of the Major Arena Soccer League and the San Diego Strike Force of the Indoor Football League both relocated from Pechanga Arena to Oceanside’s Frontwave Arena when the new, smaller venue opened in 2024.

Nellie Bartusch

OBITUARY

Nellie I. Bartusch, 86, passed away peacefully on April 15, 2026, in San Diego, California.

Born on June 19, 1939, she spent part of her early years in Grygla, Minnesota before returning to Chicago, where she became a mother to five boys. Later, moving to Arizona in the ’80s before making San Diego her home.

She was a gifted artist who loved every medium, from quilting, gemstones, glassblowing, gardening, and crafts. Her paintings were displayed in galleries and her talent was featured in newspapers. She could be found frequenting thrift stores collecting pieces of art, and books that she displayed in every inch of her home.

She was exceptionally bright and earned her master’s degree from San Diego State University. Eventually working, and dedicating her professional life to SDSU, where she retired.

Nellie was a woman full of warmth, kindness, and generosity. She had boundless intelligence, and an endless thirst for knowledge. Her legacy of education and learning will be carried forward by those who had the privilege to be loved by her. Her life will be a testament to the power of resilience and determination.

She is survived by her sons Greg, Glenn, and Paul Bartusch; her grandchildren Greg, Andrew, Caroline Silva, and Katelyn Marie Amrhein and her family; her great-grandson Sol Silva; and her brothers Dave and Lee Ortlepp.

In her final act, she chose to donate her body to science, often saying, “Why give my body to the worms, when it can help to cure cancer.”

She will be deeply missed and forever remembered by all who knew her.