SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The 18th all-time meeting of Jessup and Westmont College took place Friday night from Murchison Gymnasium in Santa Barbara. Looking to do something no Jessup squad has done before, the Warriors pushed the match to five sets before finishing on the wrong end of a 3-2 defeat.
 
"Westmont played a good game," said head coach Tiger Shelton in his postgame interview. "We put them in a position to have to beat us twice in a row. I didn't think they would be able to do it, and they did. And good for them. We made our errors, but we played well. If we can play that level of ball over time, we'll be dangerous."
 
Jessup came into Friday with history not on their side in this series, as in 17 previous meetings, Westmont was a perfect 17-0.
 
Things started good for the Warriors of Jessup, as they narrowly won the opening set 25-23, backed by four opening set kills from Marina Gonzalez. But the lead was short-lived as Westmont knotted up the score at 1-1 with a 25-20 victory in the second set.
 
Back came Jessup, calling odd numbers their specialty, as they won set three to take a 2-1 lead with a 25-19 finish.
 
During that third set, the spark of momentum came with Jessup trailing 8-5, as they embarked on a 4-0 run, capped off by a Paulina Harris kill, to take the lead.
 
It was on to the fourth set as Jessup looked to snap their 17-match winless streak against Westmont. The winless streak wouldd not see an end in the fourth set, as Westmont won 25-16.
 
For the second time in their last three matches, Jessup was off to the fifth set.
 
In a winner-take-all finale, the Warriors put themselves in a prime position thanks to Taylor MacCuish's kill to tie the score at 10-10. This was part of a 3-0 Jessup run following the two sides changing courts, but the run was short-lived. Westmont ended on a 5-2 run, winning the set 15-12.
 
Shelton spoke on Westmont's late run in the fifth, adding, "It's 10-10. I have Madison Marlow and Taylor MacCuish serving next. Those are my two best servers on the team. That's exactly who I want. And if I had to do it all over again, I would want those two serving again."
 
Gonzalez led Jessup in kills with 12 on Friday. The Warriors also saw attacking efforts in the kill column from MacCuish (9), Harris (8), and Madalyn Miller (8). Jessup hit .091 as a team, compared to .194 by Westmont.
 
Westmont came into the match receiving votes, and with the win, they move to 10-3 overall (4-1 GSAC). The Warriors drop to 5-6 (2-3 GSAC).
 
It will now be a quick turnaround for the Warriors, and often after a tough loss, that can be good. When asked about the benefit of playing tomorrow, Shelton said, "I don't know. We'll see if we play like this. If we play well, we should have no problem."
 
Jessup will end their Southern California road trip on Saturday when they take on The Master's University in Santa Clarita. The match is scheduled for 2 p.m.
   
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).