PARK, MO – Jamestown Jimmies Men’s Volleyball lost in three straight sets in their 2026 season opener Thursday in the debut of Head Coach Troy Rens.

The Jimmies fell 25-23, 25-16, 25-22 to Westcliff (CA) in the first of five matches at the Park Invitational at the Breckon Sports Center.

Gabriel Pizza led Westcliff with 13 kills (.391) and five digs.  Tom Dempsey scored six kills (.150), five digs and three blocks for the Warriors.

Lucas Soeldner notched eight kills (.375) to pace the Jimmies, with two digs and two blocks.  Chase Hawkinson had six kills (.167) with two digs and three blocks.  Kaden Jenkins and Rowan Shaughnessy each had eight assists.  Shaughnessy also had five digs.

Jamestown was limited to just three kills and hit -.105 in the first set, but the Jimmies rallied from five points down for a tie thanks to a Jenkins ace, a Hawkinson kill and five Westcliff errors in a 6-2 run that evened the set at 15-15.  Up 19-16, Westcliff made three more errors to tie the set at 19-19, but two Jimmie errors gave the Warriors a 24-22 lead.  A Hawkinson kill saved one set point, but a kill by Pizza wrapped the set up.

In the second set, the Jimmies had only five kills and hit just .038.  They couldn’t recover from three five-point deficits and one of six through the middle of the set.

11 kills made for a better third set for Jamestown, and they at last had a lead at 3-1 after an error and a kill by Soeldner.  But Westcliff rallied with kills by Dempsey, Soldner and M’hamed Mifdal to lead 10-6.  Three kills by Hawkinson brought UJ to within 12-11, but four kills from Pizza helped Westcliff to a 20-15 lead.  Ladarius Williams had a kill to cut the Jimmies’ deficit to 22-21, but Pizza and Tiago Silva had kills to end the match for Westcliff.

Jamestown will meet Ottawa (KS) and Governors State University on Friday in Parkville.