Starkville, Miss. ? Kansas’ volleyball team won its sixth consecutive nonconference tournament title with a 25-17, 25-14, 25-9 victory over Lamar on Saturday night in the Bulldog Invitational.
Earlier Saturday, the Jayhawks defeated Eastern Washington, 25-13, 25-15, 25-21.
Junior outside hitter Madison Rigdon had three early aces against Eastern Washington. Rigdon finished with six kills, five aces, and five digs.
“Our serving was better today — Madison really got us rolling with five aces,” KU coach Ray Bechard said. “We hit over .300 and we were low-error but we were out-dug. So that says we just have to be more terminal with our swings. When we take swings we need to end the rally. For the most part it was a good effort this morning.”
Setter Ainise Havili had 25 assists and seven digs in the opener.
“We are trying to play to a standard — to compete with the best teams in the country,” Bechard said. “We have to bring it every match regardless of who is on the other side of the net. Eastern Washington played a clean match yesterday and they will win their share of matches this season. For us it is more about taking care of our side of the net. We need to not only win matches, but also get better every time we play.”
Rigdon was named the Bulldog Invitational MVP.
“Madison was just solid — the best server in the event, passed at a high level, took a number of great swings, especially in our opening match,” Bechard said. “She created a lot of opportunities for our team and scored points in many different ways whether attacking, serving, or blocking. Very deserving of MVP honors.”
Senior libero Cassie Wait was named the Bulldog Invitational Outstanding Libero after averaging 4.00 digs per set.
“There were just a lot of plays that you don’t see other people make, but Cassie makes it look routine,” Bechard said.
The all-tournament team included Havili, junior All-American right-side hitter Kelsie Payne and senior middle blocker Tayler Souice.
The Jayhawks (3-0) will host Chicago State and Maryland on Friday.