POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. – The Warriors swept Lancaster Bible College on Wednesday, placing Jessup 1-0 in pool play to start the 2024 NCCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship. Now one match into their trip to Missouri, the Warriors find themselves a win away from securing a spot in the semifinal on Friday.
Jessup, now 16-12 on the season, will play two more times on Thursday to conclude pool play. The top two teams from both pools will advance to Friday's semifinals, with seeding and game times being dependent on positioning in each pool.
The Warriors' first opponent to begin the week was one they had never seen before, the Chargers of Lancaster Bible College. Lancaster Bible is an NCAA Division III program competing in the United East Conference.
Head Coach
Kyle Steele looked to 17 different athletes for playing time in Wednesday's victory. Six of those 17 appeared in all three sets, as every Jessup athlete that made the trip saw time on the court.
The Jessup offense was led by
Delaina Hunt's seven kills on a .357 hitting performance. Four Warriors finished with five kills:
Megan Conway,
Madalyn Miller,
Taylor Dilley, and
Eliana Sheridan. Conway also added three blocks, while
Carolena Bogdanovich led the way with five.
Dilley led defensively with 17 digs, while
Neena Dimas finished behind her with 13. Sheridan and
Alexis Kepa both added ten.
Jessup cruised to an opening set victory of 25-12, thanks in large part to a 6-0 run to start the day. The Warriors later added a 7-0 run in the set to push their advantage to 20-8. Set point came on a Bogdanovich kill as Jessup wrapped up the first set with three straight points.
The second set would be much of the same, as Jessup went on to win 25-10. Jessup scored six of the final seven points in the set.
Wednesday's final set was the closest battle, with the Warriors taking it 25-19. Jessup scored the final four points of the set, with match point coming on a kill from
Julia Olson.
Jessup now looks to Thursday, where they will play two matches to conclude pool play. The day begins with the Warriors taking on the College of the Ozarks at 9:15 a.m. (PST), and wraps up with a meeting against Grace at 1:45 p.m. (PST). The top two teams from Jessup's pool at the end of Thursday will advance to Friday.
The winner of Jessup's pool will play on Friday at 4 p.m. (PST), while the runner-up plays at 1 p.m. (PST). The championship match is scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m. (PST). Fans can watch the action online
HERE.
***
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).
