Lady
Blues win home opener against familiar foe
Aug. 29, 2001
Coming home was bittersweet for Newman University volleyball coach Dan Friend, whose Jets fell 28-30, 30-17, 30-23, 30-22 to the Washburn Lady Blues Wednesday night.
Friend, a Topeka native and a four-year assistant coach under Washburn head coach Allison Jones, had his plans for an upset bid fall short after the Jets opened with a comeback win in the first game.
After dropping the first game, Washburn came back to take the second game 30-17 before opening a lead in the third. The Lady Blues trailed 14-11 in the third, before reeling off eight straight points to make it 19-14, as sophomore Susan Crooks began to heat up.
Washburn came out in the fourth game and took command behind freshman Katie Brandt, who struggled early on. Brandt notched two consecutive kills to put the Lady Blues up 20-14, before finishing off the Jets moments later with a kill to make it 30-22.
Senior Jill Gassen tallied 18 kills and nine digs, while Lindsey Kersting dished out 45 assists and tallied eight digs. Kersting, a 1999 Shawnee Heights grad, earned all-tournament honors at the West Florida Invitational last weekend.
Washburn, which improved to 4-1, is back in action Friday at the Missouri Western Invitational. .