ROCKLIN, Calif. – The 2015 William Jessup University volleyball team got the home side of their regular season going Monday, continuing a recent trend as of late, winning. With former California Pacific Conference foes Pacific Union College in town, the Warriors got off to a slow start but then had a quick turnaround in route to a victory in four games (21-25, 25-13, 25-18, 25-13).
The match started off slowly for the Warriors, with Pacific Union taking the first game. The Pioneers went on a 6-0 run to start off the night, but the Warriors eventually clawed back within two at 18-16. Four unanswered points by the Pioneers gave them a cushion as they took the game 25-21.
Game two was a completely different story, with Jessup dominating from start to finish. The Warriors cruised their way to eight unanswered points, taking a commanding 15-3 lead. The Pioneers clawed back a little late in the game, but not enough as Jessup took game two 25-13.
After two fairly one-sided affairs in the night's first two games, game three stayed close. Halfway through the game, both sides were deadlocked in a 15-15 tie. From that point on, it was all Warriors as they scored six unanswered to win the game 25-18.
Jessup again got off to a fast start in the fourth game, taking a quick 9-2 lead. The Pioneers eventually cut the lead to just one, but 10 unanswered points for Jessup put the game in cruise control. The Warriors would close out game four with a 25-13 victory, taking the match in four games.
"We need to push straight through and not let other teams in the match at all," said head coach Shasta Millhollin-Bossom. "Tonight wasn't the best, but our serve, receive, and defense was really good. Every team we've played so far have told us how good we are there."
Freshman Carlie Mills (Scottsdale, AZ) led all players in Tuesday's match with 8 kills. Sophomore Kassidy Heuvelhorst (Yuba City, CA) provided a solid game up front, leading the team with 4 blocks while adding 7 kills as well.
The season continues on Friday when the Warriors start the 2015 conference schedule with a match in Santa Barbara against Westmont College. The trip continues on Saturday with another GSAC matchup at The Master's College.
"The GSAC is going to be tough," said Millhollin-Bossom. "But I think the girls are ready. I think we're going to rock some of these teams a little bit and come back with some wins."
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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), @WJUSports (Twitter), and @JessupAthletics (Instagram, and Snapchat).
