ROCKLIN, Calif. – Droves of Jessup fans filled the bleachers of Warrior Arena on Saturday as Jessup looked to send off three seniors with a Senior Night victory. Through two sets, it looked like it would be a picture-perfect ending, but Menlo College had other ideas, as the Oaks played spoiler with a reverse sweep.
Menlo climbed back after the Warriors put them in a sizeable hole following a 25-17 and 25-11 rout to start the night. The visiting Oaks answered by posting 25-20, 25-14, and 15-10 victories to steal Jessup's moment.
The night began with pomp and circumstance as Jessup honored three seniors with the annual Senior Night ceremony.
Devyn Bette,
Lauren Toon, and
Taylor MacCuish were all playing in their final match on Horton Court.
MacCuish put on a great showing in her final outing in front of her home fans, totaling 13 kills.
Madalyn Miller also added 13 kills on the night.
It felt like the Warriors were going to fight off the comeback as set five began. Jessup won three straight points to start the set, but Menlo clawed back to even the score at 5-5. From there, the run continued as the Oaks pulled away to an 8-5 lead as the two teams swapped sides.
Head coach
Tiger Shelton burned a timeout at this moment, which stole back some momentum in the form of two Jessup points. But back came the Oaks, ending the match on a 7-3 run to steal the win.
Menlo saw two players, Hannah Torres, and Katharine Mumm, lead the way with 11 kills each.
The loss does not mean the Warriors are out of the postseason picture. With two matches left on the schedule, the Warriors are still alive at 7-5, placing them in fourth place in the GSAC. Menlo moves to 8-4, putting them in second place and the current owners of a first-round bye.
Jessup will play two more times before the conference tournament, both on the road against The Master's and Life Pacific. Menlo will also square off against those two schools next week. The Warriors will enter the final week tied with LPU for third in the conference, but due to LPU winning their previous meeting, Jessup is losing the tiebreaker.
First on the road trip will be the Warriors against the Mustangs, coming on Friday night from Santa Clarita.
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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 Jessup University. Follow Jessup Athletics on social media: Jessup University Athletics (Facebook) and @JessupAthletics (Twitter & Instagram).
