ROCKLIN, Calif. – The William Jessup University volleyball squad battled for the entirety of their match Saturday, and even when it looked like they were down and out, the Warriors proved they were not. In a very tough fought GSAC match, it was Menlo College who bested the Warriors in four sets.
In the opening set Saturday, the Warriors got off to a quick start leading 7-3. Menlo would battle back and even up the set in the middle stretches, before the Oaks would ultimately pull away and sit at set point, leading 24-18. Jessup, however, did not feel pressured as they went on a 7-0 to steal the lead, and ultimately win the set 27-25.
"This group is tremendously focused, and even when we're making mistakes they know what to do to score, and I think we just wanted it today," said head coach Shasta Millhollin. "A lot teams will get set point, or even match point on us, and we never give up. We almost always get the ball back."
With momentum looking to be entirely in the Warriors' corner after the big comeback, Menlo answered with a very strong set, starting off with a 7-1 lead. The middle part of the set was fairly equalized, with the lead sitting at 15-8 in favor of Menlo before the Oaks embarked on a 10-2 run to win the set 25-10.
Set three was neck-and- neck the majority of the way. Both Jessup and Menlo found themselves tied at 9-9, and neither team wanted to pull away as the score then progressed its way to being tied at 19-19. Again, the Oaks were able to close strong, taking the third set 25-22 to take a 2-1 lead.
Jessup, again with their backs against the wall, did not quit. After the fourth set started with a 5-5 tie, the Warriors scored four straight points, two of which came off back-to- back aces by freshman Alicia Borges (Vacaville, CA), to force Menlo to use a timeout. Menlo was able to battle back, retaking the lead and forcing Jessup to use a timeout down 19-15. Jessup did fight off a match point to stay alive, but the Oaks were able to win the fourth set 25-21, securing the match.
"We had a lot of kids step up today," added Millhollin. "We've had a lot of injuries, and that happens. So we've had a lot of different people stepping up and doing a good job for us. Battling like this today is great, Menlo is a really good team…We just need to work on some air management things and capitalizing on some big plays. We were just shy of that tonight."
Jessup will continue their season on Tuesday as they play host to an old rival, Simpson University, for the annual "Ring the Bell" game. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 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), @WJUSports (Twitter), and @JessupAthletics (Instagram, and Snapchat).
