FULLERTON, Calif— The William Jessup Volleyball team played the first of their final two games of the season on the road, losing to the Hope International Royals in five sets, 21-25, 25-21, 18-25, 29-27, & 11-15. 
 
As the first set commenced, the Warriors gave up the opening three points before Taylor Tarble got Jessup on the board. From there, Jessup was playing from behind the majority of the set. They would keep things close, however, and score six consecutive points to tie the set, 16-16. Ultimately, the Warriors couldn't snag the first set, losing 21-25. 
 
Entering set two, the Warriors were on a mission. Upon taking an early 2-1 lead, they held onto the lead for the duration of the set. Once out in front, the Warriors quickly jumped out to a 10-4 lead after a kill was recorded by Taylor Jacky. Jessup was able to fend off a late push from the Royals as they evened the match at one set win each by taking set two, 25-21. 
 
The Warriors struggled to find consistency in the third set and lost 18-25. Jessup would keep their composure and rally back in an epic fourth-set battle. Once again the Warriors gave up the first three points of the set but rallied back to tie things up at 6 apiece. With the set tied again at 8, the Royals began to pull away from the Warriors. 
 
Jessup continued to chip away at the deficit and scored five consecutive points to take the lead, 24-23. Even though the Warriors were only one point away from closing the set out, it would go into extra points. Each team had the opportunity to win the set, but the Warriors claimed the final two points to win 29-27. 
 
The battle waged into the fifth set and the Warriors found themselves trailing 5-10 before scoring three straight points forcing the Royals to call a timeout. Out of the timeout, the Warriors were unable to continue their scoring run and lost 11-15. 
 
After the game, head coach Tiger Shelton said, "We fought really hard and truly showed the grit and determination this team has." He continued with, "Even though we fell a bit short, we are excited about how we played and are looking forward to facing our next opponent with confidence." 
 
Leading Jessup in kills was Vendela Williams with 17 and Taylor Jacky finished with 14. Jessica Williams and Brianne Whitt each had a productive night distributing the ball as they ended with 24 and 19 assists respectively. Kacey Berger was superb leading with 40 digs and Alicia Borges was close behind with 33 of her own. 
 
Despite the loss, the Warriors have notched their first-ever GSAC playoff bid. With Westmont defeating Arizona Christian, Jessup is locked in the No. 6 spot as the postseason is now on the horizon. 
 
The Warriors will be back in action tomorrow at 12:30 PM for their final regular season game as they take on Life Pacific College. 
   
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).