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.
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The Warriors are now 4-2 in their inaugural season, and for the first time, they find themselves winners of two in a row.
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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).
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Lopuch also added five digs.
Carter Depue was next in the kill column with 11, while
Logan Marks added seven.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Jessup hit .231 as a team on Wednesday, compared to .211 from the Bobcats. The Warriors finished with more kills, assists, and digs.
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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).