ATHERTON, Calif. – Two weeks after making university history with the first Division II victory, women's volleyball is at it again. With a strong showing in the fifth set, Jessup pulled out a 3-2 victory against Menlo College to claim the first conference victory for Jessup as a member of the PacWest.
The Warriors are now 1-1 in conference action, as the PacWest schedule began with a loss at Azusa Pacific last weekend.
Wednesday's conference dual inside Menlo's Haynes-Prim Pavilion was a back-and-forth affair, as neither team could sustain momentum in consecutive sets. Jessup opened the match with a 25-16 rout in set one, but the roles reversed with the Oaks claiming set two, 25-18. Jessup picked up the third set, 25-17, putting them one away from the victory, but a 25-22 outcome in favor of the Oaks pushed the match to the fifth.
Of the nine matches the Warriors have already played this season, four have gone to the fifth set.
A 6-1 run to open the fifth put Jessup in a comfortable position, and the comfort only grew when the lead reached 11-4. The final tally came on a swing from
Madalyn Miller, which the officials said grazed the fingers of the Menlo block before sailing out of bounds, icing the victory for the now 5-4 club.
"It was a little bit of a roller coaster on our side tonight, but we played really well in some long stretches," said head coach
Kyle Steele after the match. "It's always great to get any conference win on the road and we showed some real patience and composure to get it done when it really mattered tonight."
Menlo is now 0-3 in their first PacWest season.
Leading the Warriors' attack was
Taylor MacCuish with 11 kills on a .360 hitting performance. Miller contributed nine, while
Delaina Hunt chipped in with eight. The Warriors also scored at the net with eight blocks, four of which were contributed to
Paulina Harris.
Jessup ended the night leading in points (66), kills (53), service aces (7), assists (43), and digs (72).
It's been a long wait for Jessup fans, but the wait is finally over, as the Warriors are scheduled to play at home tomorrow after nine straight on the road to start the year. In town will be the Sunbirds of Fresno Pacific, a team the Warriors are 1-1 against this year in two non-conference meetings.
Tickets for the home opener are still available
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).
