Jones named tournament MVP as Lady Blues win two more matches
Aug. 26, 2006

Match 1 Box Score | Match 2 Box Score | Season Statistics

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Lady Blues won another pair of matches, this time sweeping both their opponents, as they finished their opening weekend 4-0 in the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns Spikefest. Junior All-American Tessa Jones was named the tournament MVP after she led the seventh-ranked Lady Blues with 3.62 kills per game and a .309 attack percentage.

Washburn will host its home opener Wednesday at 7 p.m. when it hosts Newman.

The Lady Blues started the action by defeating host ATU 30-25, 30-17, 30-27. Jones and sophomore Stephanie Nitz each had 11 kills and Nitz hit .556. Junior Erica Cowhick led the team with 13 digs and sophomore Bobi Riley, with 10 digs and nine kills, came one kill shy of a double-double.

In the second match Washburn breezed past Fort Valley State 30-13, 30-14, 30-15. Freshman Ashley Shepard and junior Mandi Cox each had eight kills and hit over .600. The team hit .336 and kept Fort Valley State to a .036 attack percentage.

Sophomore Carolyn Raynes and freshman Kate Hampson once again split the setter duties. Hampson had 41 assists in the first match and Raynes had 37 in the second match.

Riley was also named to the seven-member all-tournament team. She averaged 3.08 kills per game over the weekend and in just four matches came within four kills of last year’s total of 41.