ROCKLIN, Calif. – The brooms were brought out on Friday night as Jessup welcomed Westmont to town for their first meeting as NCAA opponents. With the 3-0 win, the Warriors pushed their home win streak to five, punching their ticket to Missouri in the process.
Friday's sweep officially punched Jessup's ticket to Missouri for the NCCAA National Championship, as it put the Warriors over the qualifying standard to be in the field. The Warriors have a chance to make more history tomorrow, as a win and an Azusa Pacific loss will put Jessup fourth in the PacWest standings.
Had Jessup not been in their provisional year, a fourth-place finish would send Jessup to the PacWest Tournament. The Warriors are ineligible for all NCAA postseason events while provisional members.
Jessup now sits 15-11 overall, 11-8 in conference play.
The Jessup offense was led by a 13-kill performance from
Eliana Sheridan. Jessup finished the night with 41 kills to 36 from Westmont. The Warriors also racked up eight aces to Westmont's three.
Kenzie Carpenter led the way with four at the service line.
Senior
Madalyn Miller finished the night with 12 kills, her 20th match of the season with double-digits. Miller continues in her record-breaking season, as she enters her final match at Warrior Arena with 1,036 career kills, the most in program history.
Miller will have another shot at history tomorrow as she sits eight kills away from matching her teammate,
Taylor Dilley, with the most kills in a single season in program history.
Westmont started the match fast, scoring five of the first six points before Jessup settled in. Jessup gained their composure after the early Westmont run and eventually took the lead on a 5-0 run late in the set. The Warriors ended the set on a 3-0 run to take the opener 25-23.
Jessup then followed up their first set victory with a 25-21 win in the second.
The third set was different than the first two, as it was all Jessup from start to finish. Jessup went on an early 9-1 run to push their lead to 12-3, and the lead continued to grow, hitting 21-8. That gave coach Kyle Steel an opportunity to rotate in several members of his bench, as the Warriors eventually grabbed the win, 25-16.
Westmont, who are in year two of their NCAA Division II membership, are 9-11 in PacWest play with the loss.
One more match remains for the Warriors in the 2024 regular season, and that will come tomorrow when Biola comes to town. The season finale is scheduled for 1 p.m., and it will be a special day for the Warriors as Saturday is Senior Day. Nine seniors will be honored in a ceremony after the match.
Tickets for Senior Day are still on sale
HERE.
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Jessup University is a provisional member of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division II and the PacWest Conference. 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 (Instagram & X).
