ROCKLIN, Calif. – Jessup fell in the first two sets on the road at Hope International University before rallying to force a game five, but couldn't manage to finish off the Royals succumbing to a 2-3 defeat (22-25, 20-25, 25-23, 25-22, 8-15).

The first two games of the night were hard fought battles. Game one saw the Warriors jump to an early 17-14 lead, but the momentum shifted after a Hope timeout. The timeout adjustments worked favorably for the Royals as they sprinted to a 22-25 victory at the end of game one.

In the second set, Hope would control a close game up until the final points when they pulled away to a 25-20 win. The third set; however, saw a determined Jessup step onto the court to grab a quick 6-2 lead over their GSAC opponent. The score would advance to 19-15 where Hope would make their run at the Warriors.

Hope took a 21-20 lead before the Warriors signaled for timeout to regroup. Jessup had spent much of the game successfully, and mercilessly, attacking a hole in the Hope defense along the left side of the net. Now on the defense, though, they started to struggle to maintain that same rhythm. On the last play of the game, they found the left side attack again as a kill by Courtney Lengyel, (Diamond Bar, CA) assisted by Cheyenne Johnson (Redding, CA) finished the Warrior victory 25-23.

Jessup fought to carry the same momentum into game 4 jumping to an early 3-0 lead, but the Royals quickly moved to close the gap tying the game at 5-5. While Jessup adjusted to a more balanced attack strategy, the left side of the net remained a great source of scoring for the Warriors and they would cruise to a 25-21 victory forcing a fifth match.

The spark of momentum moved from the Warriors back to Hope International in the fifth and final set. The Warriors went down 10-3 early and attempted to mount multiple comebacks, but all proved unsuccessful with the match ending in an 8-15 defeat.

Makenzie Reeder-Esparza led the Warriors in kills with 17 while sophomore Cheyenne Johnson had a season-best 49 assists throughout the night.

The Warriors record moved to 6-16 (1-10 in the GSAC) while Hope jumped over the .500 mark to 10-9 (7-4 in the GSAC). Jessup will remain on the road through the weekend, taking on the nation's number one ranked team Biola University tomorrow afternoon. They return home for their senior game against Vanguard on Friday, Nov, 6 at 12:00 p.m.
 
William Jessup University is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC). For additional information regarding Jessup Athletics, visit www.jessupathletics.com; visit www.jessup.edu for more information on William Jessup University. Follow Jessup Athletics on social media: William Jessup University Athletics (Facebook), @JessupAthletics (Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat).