ROCKLIN, Calif. – It was a happy ending to Saturday's story, as the regular season finale with Biola was followed by the annual Senior Day ceremony. Unfortunately, what preceded was a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat, as the Warriors came out on the losing end of their final home match.
Jessup ends the regular season, their first in the PacWest, 11-9 in conference action. The Warriors went 15-12 overall, with all but one of them being against Division II competition.
Saturday's contest was the annual Senior Day game for Jessup, as the match was followed by the senior ceremony to honor nine players. Those graduating and leaving the team after this season were
Kenzie Carpenter,
Taylor Dilley,
Neena Dimas,
Delaina Hunt,
Alexis Kepa,
Jordyn MacCuish,
Taylor MacCuish,
Emma Miller, and
Madalyn Miller.
For
Madalyn Miller, who already secured the all-time record for kills in a career, more history was on the line as she needed nine kills to set a new single-season kills record. It took until the fifth set, but Miller hit the mark, breaking the record set by Dilley in 2021.
Miller finished the regular season with 355 kills and has 1,046 on her career after ten on Saturday.
Jessup jumped out to a 1-0 lead after a 25-22 victory in the first set, but back then came Biola, who grabbed the next two and took a 2-1 lead into the fourth. The Warriors regrouped to win the fourth, 25-17, sending the match to a decisive fifth set.
Set five saw Biola pull ahead with a big run, as four straight points put them up 8-3. After a Jessup point to end the run, the Eagles posted another 4-0 run to push their lead to 12-4. Biola would eventually take the match with a 15-7 fifth-set victory.
The Warriors finished Saturday's match with four players at ten kills. Joining Miller was
Eliana Sheridan,
Taylor MacCuish, and
Paulina Harris. Dimas led with 18 digs, while Sheridan and Kepa each added 12.
Biola ends their season 9-19 overall, adding a 7-13 record in PacWest action.
While the regular season is now at its end, the season is not over for the Warriors as they are on their way to the NCCAA National Championship in Missouri. It has not been announced yet who the Warriors will take on in the opening round.
The NCCAA Tournament will be held at the College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, MO, and begins on December 4.
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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).
