SURPRISE, Ariz. – When the Warriors make their way off the campus of OUAZ today, they can take an extra second to look around and learn the surroundings because Jessup will be back in two weeks. Taking on the OUAZ Spirit, Jessup produced another comeback performance, clinching a trip to the GSAC Tournament.
Saturday's victory, Jessup's tenth of the conference season, ties the program record for the most GSAC victories in a single season.
The leading spark for the Warriors did not come at the net but rather at the service line. The Warriors finished the match with 14 aces, with
Lauren Toon leading the way with a career-high seven.
"Serving and passing wins the game," head coach
Tiger Shelton said after the match. "That's the motto of any team. It doesn't matter if you're the Olympic team or just a little club team. Serving and passing wins the game, and that's what we do all the time."
Shelton then spoke on Toon's day, adding, "Lauren serves and passes a lot. That's what she does. That's the only thing she does, so she is very good at it."
OUAZ led most of the first set, taking a five-point lead late with a 20-15 advantage. Similarly to last night, Jessup mounted a comeback, going on a 7-2 run to even things at 22. The Warriors then scored three of the following four, ending with a Toon ace to take the opening set 25-23.
It was on to the second, and once again, Jessup got in a hole, trailing 7-3. The Warriors would claw back with a 9-2 run to take the lead, but the set ultimately went the way of the Spirit, 25-22.
Early deficits were the trend of Saturday's match, as again, in the third, it was the Spirit starting fast with an 11-2 advantage. But charging back came with Warriors with a 6-1 run to get within striking distance. Jessup finally evened things at 19 during a 9-1 run to end the set, giving Jessup a 25-20 victory.
"When we were up 2-1, (
AJ Mackin) looked at me and goes, 'When have you ever been up 2-1 in a game and felt like you were losing," added Shelton.
While it may have felt like Jessup was on the wrong end of the scoreboard, in reality, they were not. Knowing they could put the match away, Jessup powered their way to a 25-18 victory in the fourth to win the match 3-1.
"If you ask any winning team in the world about their season, they will come back to these games and go, yeah, we won this game that we probably shouldn't," added Shelton. "Probably shouldn't have beat Ottawa today, but we did. And yesterday, down 2-0, probably shouldn't of won that game, but we did. And that's where a season is defined, in those moments."
Shelton and the Warriors have two more matches to claim their seed in the GSAC Tournament. The Warriors are tied with Life Pacific for second place. The top two seeds in the GSAC Tournament get a bye into the semifinals.
The Warriors will be home on Friday to take on The Master's University, followed by Senior Day against Westmont on Saturday.
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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) and @JessupAthletics (Twitter & Instagram).
