ROCKLIN, Calif. – Jessup STUNT was back at Warrior Arena Friday for two games against Hope International and top-ranked Vanguard. The Warriors pieced together strong first halves in both games, as they went 1-1 on the day.
 
The No. 2 Warriors started out against Hope International. After dropping the first point of the game, Jessup scored the final seven in the first half to jump out to an early 7-2 lead at the break. The Warriors took three out of four possible points in the third and seven of nine possible in the fourth to coast to a 17-5 victory over the Royals.
 
"We had a great game against Hope," said head coach Alexis Welch. "We were so excited to get out there and throw some harder-level partner sets. Our goal there was to just work on hitting those cleanly."
 
The Warriors' second game of the day was a highly anticipated matchup of the top two teams in STUNT, as the defending champion No. 1 Vanguard Lions were in town. 
 
Jessup stormed out to a 6-3 lead in the first half, with the highlight of the night coming with a successful performance of routine eight. 
 
"That's the first time we've ever thrown that partner stunt in front of a crowd. That is the cleanest that we've ever had," said Welch. "That was the best partner stunt that we've ever done, and it's super exciting to do that in front of a crowd. It was the cherry on top for the game."
 
Vanguard came out strong in the second half, taking three out of four in the second quarter to close in on the Jessup lead. Although the Warriors led by one going into the fourth, Vanguard scored eight of the nine possible points in the final quarter to take home the 14-9 victory.
 
"Every single time we play Vanguard, we just keep getting better and coming back stronger," said Welch, who added that she was hopeful to meet the Lions again in a few weeks when Jessup hosts the STUNT College Nationals. "We're gonna get back to work for the next three weeks, and we'll be ready to go when we see them again."
 
Jessup wraps up the regular season tomorrow with games against Concordia-Irvine and Sonoma State.
   
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).