FRESNO, Calif. – The wait for win number one is over, as Jessup made history on Saturday night in the finale of the Sunbird Classic. After an 0-3 start to their time in Division II, the Warriors pulled off the sweep of Academy of Art to claim the university's first victory of its new era.
It's a milestone moment in many ways, as not only is the university's first Division II victory, but it is also the first victory for head coach
Kyle Steele with the Warriors. Steele accumulated 185 wins in his coaching career before coming to Rocklin, but Saturday's victory will surely be one he will remember forever.
The victory did not come without some drama, as it took 29 points for the Warriors to claim the third and final set. After sitting on match point at 24-22, Academy of Art ripped off three straight points to put themselves one more away from extending the match. A
Taylor Dilley kill then evened the score at 25, and a
Taylor MacCuish kill put Jessup back on match point.
With the next four points flipping between Jessup and Academy of Art, the Warriors settled in with a
Paulina Harris kill to make it 28-27. Match point finally came when Dilley racked up her ninth kill of the night to seal the win.
In celebration, the Warriors then stormed the court, as a hard-fought weekend of volleyball was ending on the right note.
Madalyn Miller led Jessup with 13 kills in the victory. Miller added two blocks as well, as Jessup totaled eight in the win. Harris led the way at the net with four.
Jessup began the match with the Urban Knights by winning the opening set 25-22. In doing so, the Warriors ended the set, scoring eight of the final ten points. The second set saw Academy of Art win the first five points, but Jessup again finished strong as a 3-1 at the end gave them the 25-21 victory.
Saturday began with the Warriors taking on the hosts of the Sunbird Classic, Fresno Pacific, in the second of three non-conference matches against PacWest opponents. FPU improved to 3-1 in their tournament with their sweep of Jessup in the matinee.
Miller tallied 11 kills in the loss.
Julia Olson and
Kailia Phillips each contributed four. Defensively,
Neena Dimas added seven digs to lead the team.
With a win under their belt, Jessup will now shift their focus to another tournament next weekend when they visit Turlock for three matches. Jessup will open the Stanislaus State Tournament on Friday when they meet up with UC Merced at 2:30 p.m. The Warriors will then play Chico State and the tournament hosts on Saturday.
The Warriors open the season with nine straight on the road before volleyball finally comes to Warrior Arena on September 26.
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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).
