ALISO VIEJO, Calif. – There was no stopping the Warriors on Thursday, as from the first whistle on Jessup dominated their match with Soka. In the second of five straight matches in Southern California, the Warriors made history again, as Thursday ended with the first victory sweep for the first-year program.
Jessup is now 5-3 in their inaugural campaign, with four of those victories coming on the road.
There was no denying Jessup on Thursday night, as the opening set saw them open to a 7-0 run. Soka's first point would come on a Jessup service error, ending the run, and that would be a trend as Soka's first four points all came on Jessup service errors. By the time of their first kill, Jessup had already pulled ahead to a 16-4 lead.
After that first kill, the Warriors responded with seven straight points, ultimately taking the first set 25-7.
The second set was much of the same, as this time it was a 13-0 Jessup run that did the talking, as the Warriors pulled away to a 15-4 lead. Jessup closed the set by winning the last five points, as a 25-8 victory put them one more set away from ending the match in three.
Jessup would do just that, but it they would not hold Soka to single digits in the process this time around, as their opponents managed to put 12 points on the board. Those 12 points came with the Warriors sitting on 18, as Jessup responded with seven straight to end the night.
A collective effort all around saw the Warriors piece together the victory. Nine players finished with at least nine kills, with
Chase Schwab leading the team with seven.
Anthony Dobie was next with six, followed by
Andrew Lyda with five.
Riley Green led the Warriors in assists on Thursday with 15, followed by
Taylor Marks, who added 10. Dobie and Marks tied for the team lead with four digs each.
Soka ended the match with just five kills and no blocks.
Jessup will stay in Aliso Viejo as they will take on a school very familiar to head coach
Kyle Steele, OUAZ, on Saturday. Steele won 112 games as the head coach of the Spirit during his tenure in Surprise, beginning back in 2017. The 2025 season is the first season in OUAZ men's volleyball history not to feature Steele at the helm.
The family reunion match is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m.
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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).
