ROCKLIN, Calif. – Men's volleyball (8-11, 4-4) went to five sets for the second time in as many games, outlasting the Jessup Warriors (6-14, 0-8) in a 3-2 win Saturday afternoon at Warrior Arena. The Lions were down 2-1 but managed a scrappy win in set four to push the fifth set. They hit a match-best .571 in the closing stanza to lock down the road victory.

Unlike last night, Jessup outpaced the Lions in both kills (63-51) and hitting percentage (.344-.314). VU had 10 aces, marking double-digit service aces for just the second time this season. They also stacked a dominant showing in the front row with a 9-4 lead in blocks.

What Happened? There were 15 ties and five lead changes in the first set, which was the most in any period for the afternoon. The Lions opened on a 5-4 scoring split; Grant Veldman netted two kills, Micah Sybesma and Cole Oliver scalped a double-block, and Oliver issued his first of many aces of the day to the back corner.

Veldman had his best set of the game with five kills, clipping three in a row as both teams approached the media timeout, and Oliver fired another ace for a 15-15 score. Braddock Duckworth had the find on the gap set from Willy Wang to push the Lions up by one, but unbeknownst to VU, it would be their penultimate kill of the set (16-16).

The Warriors had 17 kills in the period to VU's 10, and pushed out a .600 hitting percentage (17-2-25), overshadowing Vanguard's .381 (10-2-21) rate. They dumped consecutive aces to open up the lead and went errorless on their last five kills to secure a 25-22 win.

Set 2
Jessup matched its collective 17-kill count from the previous set. Their six attack errors cost them, however, as the Lions committed just three of their own. VU were also an overwhelming 4-0 from the service line.

History repeated itself with another 5-4 VU start; this time it was two double blocks, with Sybesma joining forces with Veldman and Oliver on each occasion. Veldman coined another three kills, and Wang whipped an ace into the donut to help the Lions clasp double-figures (10-9 VU).

Jessup thrust forward with a 4-1 split. Then Oliver became the pace setter for the next phase of Lion scoring with two kills and an ace, as VU trailed 16-14. VU erupted on a 7-1 run, with Sybesma staking two aces and Logan Freemon and Duckworth dunking down a double block. Jessup could not make up the difference, as an attacking error handed VU the frame.

Set 3
The Lions lost control in the third set, starting a two-stanza stretch where they bled 11 errors to 19 kills. In set three, they staggered to their match-low eight kills on .150 (8-5-20). The Warriors clocked in at .233 (14-7-30) for the interval and outdid Vanguard 2-0 at the service line.

The first three VU kills came between three separate Lions, and a double block between Sybesma and Wang stamped a 6-3 VU lead. The Warriors grabbed the advantage on a 9-3 overhaul as Vanguard suffered three errors. With the 12-9 Jessup lead, the game of catch-up never favored VU. They were never closer than a three-point deficit, and Jessup's 5-1 run didn't help their case (21-15 Jessup). The Lions' last point came from a double block between Veldman and Duckworth, but the Warriors launched a 3-0 run to take a 2-1 set lead.

Set 4
The Blue and Gold remained sub. 200 in the fourth set, striking .185 (11-6-27). Jessup hit .200 (9-4-25) and was overrun late to force the fifth set.

Freemon snared an ace, and five Jessup errors walked the Lions to an 8-7 start in the frame. Wang supplied a couple of assists to set VU in a 10-8 lead, but Jessup racked up a 6-3 run to gather within two (14-12 VU). Not much could separate the groups until the red zone amid the 10 ties inside the frame. Though Jessup was the first to 20, Oliver led a 4-1 run, which he closed with an ace to pinch an even 20-all tally. The Warriors had an ace in their pocket to charge back and stood with a two-point lead (22-20), ready to close the match.

The sophomore in Freemon had his hand on four of the final five Vanguard points in a potent 5-0 run to come back and win the set. He started with a kill out of the back row, then fastened back-to-back blocks and capitalized on set point with a hammer going cross-court.

Set 5
The final set had an identical tone, pace, and scoreline from last night's 15-13 set five wins. VU had 10 kills to Jessup's six, and had its match-best set, hitting .571 (10-2-14).

The Lions earned a 2-0 start, but Jessup tacked seven points on the board, including an ace to jump ahead 7-4. By the time they snatched the eighth point to flip sides though, Sybesma had clattered three-straight kills to make it 8-7 Jessup. The Warriors kept the lead for two straight rallies, in a pair of ties, but VU's incoming set-defining run offered the cushion to set up the win.

They scored four in a row, with two kills from Duckworth, a Jessup error, and Brock Henderson's first ace of the night. VU led 12-10 and never gave the Warriors a way back. Veldman molded two kills to book match point, and Sybesma put it away for VU's third five-set win of the season.

Veldman matched his career-high 17 kills on a .367 (17-6-30) hitting percentage. Freemon and Oliver each had 11 kills, with Oliver having the game-high four service aces. Sybesma only piled one attack error in an eight-kill, four block, two ace performance where he hit .538. Wang was one assist shy of a 40-piece with 39 assists and five digs.

What's Next? Vanguard welcomes BYU for a two-game stretch starting Thursday, April 2, at 7 p.m.