COSTA MESA, Calif. - The Warriors continued conference play taking on the Vanguard Lions for their first road GSAC series of the season.  Coming out to a slow start, the Warriors battled back winning the third set but fell by a mere three points in the final set as the Lions beat Jessup (14-25, 20-25, 27-25, 22-25) 3-2 falling to 15-5, 0-2.

"We still need to work on starting tougher," head coach Shasta Millhollin said. "Vanguard is a seasoned team with a lot of heavy hitters. We need to eliminate early errors in order to beat them next round." 

With a rough start out the gate, the Warriors dropped the first set but showed momentum picking up the pace the following three sets.

In the second set, the Lions took a 6-0 lead to start but the Warriors chipped away from the deficit to close the gap 11-8 at the midway point. Vanguard continued their momentum to finish on top 25-20 looking to close the match in the next set.

The tables turned in the third set as the Warriors went tip-for-tap to start gaining a 6-0 run as Danielle Schoen capped the Warriors 10-4 lead with an ace. Tied 19-19 both teams exchanged sideouts through 25 before Jessup returned three kills in a row by Vendela Williams, Schoen and back-row attacker Claudia Diaz to seal the deal 27-25, still down 2-1.

In the final set, the Lady Warriors continued to battle closing the gap from the start to tie it up 14-14, but the Lions continued to gain footing for the lead 25-22, taking it 3-1.

Vendela continued to lead the Warriors offensively with 11 kills, followed by Sydney Molander with 10 kills and Makenzie Reeder-Esparza with 8. Vendela also led the defense with 5 blocks and Kassidy Heuvelhorst and Schoen with 4 a piece.

The Warriors have a quick turnaround taking on Hope International tomorrow at 3 pm to complete the first conference road trip.

"We are proud of the way we fought back tonight, but we know we can give more," Millhollin said. "We are looking forward to getting back on the court tomorrow at Hope."

   
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) and @JessupAthletics (Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat).