MERCED, Calif. – Less than one week removed from UC Merced sweeping the Warriors inside Warrior Arena, Jessup made a return visit to Merced, looking to issue some payback. With the bad taste still lingering, Jessup fixed the errors they made a week ago, as Wednesday night ended with the Warriors winning 3-1.
The Warriors are now 4-2 in their inaugural season, and for the first time, they find themselves winners of two in a row.
Once again, the Jessup offense was sparked by Polish outside hitter
Jan Lopuch. Coming off the first 20-kill performance in program history, Lopuch topped his season-best with 23 kills on Wednesday night. His performance finishes one shy of the record set by any student-athlete at Jessup, as 24 kills in a match is the record on the women's side (Maddy Miller, Marina Gonzalez, Mary Padilla).
Lopuch also added five digs.
Carter Depue was next in the kill column with 11, while
Logan Marks added seven.
Taylor Marks was there to set up Lopuch and the offense, as he dished out 42 assists on the night. It's Marks' second 40+ assist performance on the season, with his best being 45 in a victory at Simpson.
Jessup dropped the opening set on Wednesday, 28-26, making it four straight sets lost to the Bobcats, but they bounced back to claim victory in the second with a 25-19 win to even the match. The Warriors then followed that up with a narrow 25-23 decision in the third, placing them 25 points away from winning the match.
A 7-1 run by the Warriors played a prominent role in Jessup claiming the fourth set, as the winning point came on Lopuch's final kill, ending the night with a 25-20 victory.
Jessup hit .231 as a team on Wednesday, compared to .211 from the Bobcats. The Warriors finished with more kills, assists, and digs.
Now the Warriors head south to take on CSU Northridge on Friday night. That match will be streamed on ESPN+. Jessup is in the midst of a six-match road trip and will not be back inside Warrior Arena until March 11, when Simpson comes to town.
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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).
