ROCKLIN, Calif. – Vanguard men's volleyball's first program trip to Warrior Arena went the distance, as the Blue and Gold survived the five-set exchange Friday night against Jessup. The Lions got out to a rusty start to drop the first frame, then pushed a pair of sets to take the 2-1 lead. Jessup had the late comeback to force the fifth, and it was VU who was able to make the most of a slugfest in the final stanza to win 3-2 (21-25, 25-23, 25-14, 23-25, 15-13).

The Lions make it three straight wins and earn the first road win of the season to improve to 7-11 and 3-4 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. Jessup drops its ninth in a row, moving to 6-13, 0-7.
VU hit .250 (48-20-112) on the contest, boasting nine aces and a season-high five solo blocks. The Warriors hit .165 (44-25-115), lined up eight service aces, and equaled VU's solo block tally at the net (5). Both teams combined for 52 service errors, with VU's 27 being the highest total since the season opener.

What Happened? The Lions opened the match on a 3-0 run, with the first kill of the night coming from Logan Freemon. VU coughed up its first point via a bad set, and a square trade of points left the score at five-all.

Willy Wang penciled in a 2-0 run off the setter's dump, but Jessup had the first ace of the night to keep the score even once again. The next pair of service errors split between the teams made it 8-8 and marked the final tie of the period.

VU's eventual problems came in the offense. The Lions couldn't flow in system and suffered seven attack errors in the set (.115) to Jessup's one, as the Warriors racked up their match-high .348 hitting percentage (9-1-23) to keep the Lions behind. They carved another ace to go ahead and finally pulled away midway through the set, as VU's errors proved costly. The Lions committed four straight attack errors, which aided a 7-2 Jessup run (20-14). Micah Sybesma stamped the first VU ace in the closing moments, but Jessup went errorless over their last five kills to win the period.

Set 2
The Warriors were down to .000 (6-6-24) in the next stanza and had their match-low in kills. VU issued nine kills, but had five errors, hitting sub .200 (.174) for the second successive set.

The Lions had a 3-1 start followed by a 4-1 Jessup response, which set the teams level at five-all. It was the first tie of many, with 15 coming in the set. The ninth tie of the set came at 11-11, right before Vanguard used a solo block from Grant Veldman to jump back in front and try to reset the pace. Both teams struggled with service errors for the next few points, but it was Veldman and Sybesma who stepped up at the service line, tabbing two aces in the 5-1 Lion run to make it 18-14. Jessup wasn't done yet, quickly erasing the deficit on a 6-3 trade.

The Lions had a cautious 21-20 heading into the red zone. Brock Henderson locked out another VU solo stuff and set Sybesma down the middle to open up VU's eventual set point. The veteran middle blocker in Sybesma had the set-sealing ace to even the set score.

Set 3
VU were no-nonsense in the third set and left no room for error for the home team in Jessup to breathe. The Lions went errorless (10-0-19) to clip a .526 hitting percentage. The Warriors suffered a match-low -.083 (8-10-24).

Cole Oliver rinsed down a kill from the right pin to put the Lions on their way. Jessup nailed three of their first kill attempts for a 3-3 score. The Lions sped away on an 11-5 run, which featured a block party with Henderson and Braddock Duckworth and a blocking error from the Warriors, who had a tough time closing the seams. Down 14-8, Jessup managed an ace to pepper a 4-1 split. Oliver was back in business from the other antenna, sending the Lions to their 15th point.

VU ended the set on a dominant spell, with seven points unanswered, and a Freemon solo stuff and ace to put the frame away 25-14.

Set 4
The Lions looked poised to take the win after a confident third set, but once again fell victim to attack errors. VU matched their seven miscues from set one to hit a match-low .094 (10-7-32). Jessup had six errors themselves, but made the most of their .200 (12-6-30).

For the third time on the night, a frame started with a bad set, this time coming from VU as Jessup came out on a 5-2 run. The Lions got back within two, but the Warriors charged out to another 4-0 run with a trifecta of kills to cement a 9-4 advantage.

Then Sybesma happened. The middle marked a potent period, with one block, one ace and two kills to help guide the Lions' level (12-12). Jessup jabbed back with an ace to complement a 5-2 push (17-14 Jessup). VU had Oliver to thank for forcing them back into the mix with a kill and double-block with Sybesma.

The Blue and Gold triggered a 4-2 split into the red zone to stake a 23-22 lead and approach match point. Jessup spun the narrative with back-to-back big-time blocks in the front row, taking a 25-23 win to push the fifth frame.

Set 5
There were just three errors between the pair in the final set, with VU hitting .667 (9-1-12) to Jessup's .500 (9-2-14). Unlike the previous set, the Warrior block came up empty, and VU also took command of the serving tempo with a 3-1 lead in aces.

Veldman piled two aces, an assist, and two kills in the early stages of the set to trigger a 7-2 Lion start. VU also sported a double-block between Sybesma and Oliver.

The Warriors gained ground off five kills and a few VU service errors to jump within one (11-10 VU) after the restart. Freemon fired the third Lion ace of the set, which was neutralized by a Warrior ace from 30 paces to pinch a 12-all score.

Veldman's heroics continued; he had five of the nine total kills in the set, and breached back-to-back points to force a match point. Oliver's swat against the block sealed the deal as VU withstood the Warriors in five sets.

Veldman had the team-high 16 kills, hitting .343. He also had five digs and three aces. Oliver ended with 14 kills, swinging .219 and tacking on seven digs and two block assists.

Sybesma was errorless, with a sharp .636 (7-0-11) hitting percentage. He also had a match-best four aces and added two solo blocks. Freemon had 10 digs, two aces, and three kills.

What's Next? VU returns to Warrior Arena for a rematch tomorrow at 2 p.m.