ROCKLIN, Calif. – A new year officially got underway on Thursday. With students on campus moving into their dorm rooms, the place to be was Warrior Arena, as Jessup welcomed Lewis-Clark State for the official opener of the 2022 season.
 
In a battle of the Warriors, what started out hot ended on the rocks as Jessup dropped their opener in four sets.
 
Sydney Hancock led the attack for Jessup, totaling 14 kills in her Rocklin debut. Head coach Tiger Shelton spoke about Hancock, noting, "She was everything I thought she would be."
 
The Warriors got off to a hot start, taking the opening set 25-18, but things began to spiral when LC State knotted the total score at 1-1 with a 25-21 victory in set two. The set was deadlocked at 18, but a 7-3 run by the visitors began a momentum swing that lasted.
 
"I talked to my captains afterward, and they all agreed. They thought it was leadership on the court," added Shelton on the momentum swing. Jessup played without a key piece to the lineup, Marina Gonzalez, who Jessup hopes to get back before their next official contest.
 
"Missing one of our key figures, you start getting notches or chinks in the armor. You need leadership to bring back together a sense of calm. Marina has that sense of calm."
 
Set three saw Jessup come back from an early 6-3 deficit to force four ties, but the swing came at 11-11 when LCSC proceeded to charge towards a 10-2 run. LC State eventually took the set and the match lead, with a 25-17 victory.
 
But Jessup did not show any signs of quit, trailing 2-1 entering the fourth. An ace by Hancock, one of two for her, sparked Jessup to score five of the next six points and take a 10-9 lead. After trading points back-and-forth, LCSC once again kicked it into fourth gear, scoring four of the final five points to take set four, 25-21.
 
Even with the loss, there were things to like about Jessup's showing. "I liked our offense. We hit .211 today," added Shelton. ".211 is a good number for us. And our goal was to hit that, and we hit our goals. (LC State) just hit .368, so .368 beats .211."
 
Adding to Jessup's attack was sophomore Madalyn Miller who totaled 11 kills. Shelton touched on Miller's performance, stating, "(Miller) is still not 100-percent, that hurt us. She didn't play at her normal pace today."
 
The Warriors have some time until the next official match on the schedule, but their next time on the court comes in less than 24 hours. Jessup will be in Bakersfield tomorrow for a 4 p.m. exhibition against CSU Bakersfield.
 
Shelton concluded the conversation by saying, "Today was our first game. At the end of the weekend, we'll talk again, and we'll be able to say what we did well against Bakersfield. I would imagine we hopefully pick our game up. But we will see how many people are hurting tonight from playing too much."
   
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).