FULLERTON, Calif. -- Finishing the Hope International Regional Tournament on Saturday, Vanguard STUNT once again went 1-1 on the day.  That said, VU played Jessup extremely close, making the 15-12 defeat one of the closest scores between the two sides in the past three meetings.  The Lions then easily handled the OUAZ Spirit 23-1 to end the regular season at 13-8 overall.
 
What Happened?  The first matchup was against the Warriors, who took the first quarter of partner stunts 4-1.  Vanguard also grabbed one point in the second quarter of pyramids and tosses, as the 3-1 decision put VU in a 7-2 hole at halftime.  That early gap is what saved Jessup, as the Lions grew in confidence in the second half.  The Blue and Gold owned the third quarter of jumps and tumbling 3-1, bringing the margin down to 8-5.  In the fourth quarter of the combined routines, the Lions continued to execute, but the two sides could not find much separation, as each team netted seven points.  Unfortunately, that meant that Vanguard could not close in on the Warriors, who held on to their slim lead for a 15-12 win. It is the closest that the Lions have come to beating Jessup since the 14-13 defeat in Rocklin at the national tournament a year ago.
 
VU was clinical in the second game of the day, as the team took care of the Spirit 23-1.  A growing program, OUAZ only scored one point in the fourth quarter, as VU posted four points in each of the first three frames and 11 in the fourth.
 
What is next?  The Blue and Gold were selected for the NAIA STUNT Tournament and will join Hope, Jessup, OUAZ, and Missouri Baptist at HIU beginning on April 18.  The seeding for the tournament will be announced in the next week.