ROCKLIN, Calif. - The Warriors competed in their third fifth-set battle in a row, tonight against UC Santa Cruz. Jessup was off to a rough start down 0-2 before winning three-straight sets to defeat the Banana Slugs (16-25, 21-25, 25-23, 26-24, 15-5).
"To be coming together, playing hard, smart, and finishing strong is exactly what we wanted to be doing at the end of the season," head coach Shasta Millhollin said. "Our ability to make adjustments and manage errors lately has been instrumental to our success."
Locking their 11th win this season, the Warriors tied the most wins achieved in program history, the last season being 2010 when they went 11-8 overall. The record itself is the least of the impact the Warriors have made this season, as multiple players are breaking season and career records in the history books.
"We are checking off a lot of boxes this season in terms of players posting career records and the team setting school records. This is exactly what we set out to do at the beginning of the season," Millhollin said in confirmation of her confidence for her players from the start.
Tonight the Warriors battled back from being down 0-2 for the second game in a row to beat the Banana Slugs in the deciding set by a large margin (15-5).
"Our coaching staff has been emphasizing the importance of persistence, tenacity, and grit! It's hard to get that going with so many newcomers, but it's coming together now and it feels good," explained Millhollin. "There is so much validation that comes with achieving these goals. We thank God for the opportunity that we have to play this great sport and help each other grow along the way."
Coming out strong for the Warriors was senior middle, Jennah Richmond and sophomore opposite Makenzie Reeder-Esparza both having 11 kills for the night, with Richmond hitting a season high kills and percentage (.500).
Continuing her killer service presence, Jessica Williams recorded three aces to give her a total of 46 this season, just three shy of the top spot in single-season program history. Offensively Williams also led with 44 assists for the 57 kills against the Slugs, and defensively had 20 digs.
"We have learned a lot these past couple of 5 set matches and we are eager to finish the season as strong as possible," concluded Millhollin.
The Ladies Warriors will take their final trip down south to play Vanguard University on Saturday and close the season the following Saturday at Menlo College.
***
Â
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).
