SURPRISE, Ariz. – The 2022 Golden State Athletic Conference Volleyball Tournament gets underway from Faith Arena in Surprise, Ariz., on Thursday. One notable absence from the court on day one of the tournament will be the Warriors of Jessup.
Jessup ended the regular season last Saturday against (RV) Westmont, closing out the campaign with a conference record of 12-6. That record gives the Warriors the second seed in the postseason, along with a first-round bye.
The Warriors will join Westmont, whom Jessup took down in a reverse sweep over the weekend, as automatic bids to the semifinals of the conference tournament.
Jessup will open up their postseason bid Friday night as they hit the court inside OUAZ's Faith Arena at 6 p.m. (PST). Who the Warriors will face remains to be seen.
It will be one of two potential opponents for Jessup Friday night. Their matchup will be determined in the finale of Thursday's postseason action.
Six teams qualified for the GSAC Tournament. Against teams qualifying for the postseason, Jessup went 6-4.
The only team to qualify for the conference tournament that Jessup swept was Vanguard. Vanguard draws the three-seed, finishing with the same record as Jessup, but thanks to that sweep, the Warriors claimed the tiebreaker. Jessup took down Vanguard in four sets to open the GSAC season on September 9. The Lions' trip to Rocklin on October 15 saw the Warriors walk away with a three-set sweep.
Vanguard draws six-seed The Master's, the last team into the postseason after beating Menlo in their season finale.
Jessup took down The Master's in four sets last Friday, the penultimate match of the regular season. TMU beat the Warriors in four sets on September 24 in Santa Clarita.
Westmont, the 2022 GSAC regular season champions, earn an automatic bid to the NAIA Opening Round with their finish. They await the winner of Thursday's match between OUAZ and Life Pacific. The GSAC Championship game takes place on Saturday at 5 p.m. (PST).
The complete schedule for the 2022 GSAC Tournament is as follows:
| FIRST ROUND |
| Match 1 |
#5 OUAZ vs. #4 Life Pacific |
3:00 p.m. (PT) |
| Match 2 |
#6 The Master's vs. #3 Vanguard |
6:00 p.m. (PT) |
| SEMIFINALS |
| Match 3 |
Winner of Match 1 vs. #1 Westmont |
3:00 p.m. (PT) |
| Match 4 |
Winner of Match 2 vs. #2 Jessup |
6:00 p.m. (PT) |
| GSAC CHAMPIONSHIP |
| Match 5 |
Winner of Match 3 vs. Winner of Match 4 |
5:00 p.m. (PT) |
Jessup will appear in the GSAC Tournament for the second time in program history. The Warriors qualified in 2019 but lost in three sets to Vanguard in the first round.
The Warriors come into the postseason winners in ten of their last 11 outings. Head coach
Tiger Shelton was named GSAC Coach of the Year after his program won a record 12 GSAC matches.
Marina Gonzalez,
Taylor MacCuish, and
Madalyn Miller all earned selections to the All-GSAC team.
All tournament games will be live-streamed for free on the
GSAC Sports Network. Live stats will also be available
HERE.
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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).
