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TOPEKA, Kan. -- The eighth-ranked Washburn Lady Blues dropped the first set, but rattled off three straight set wins en route to a 3-1 (20-25, 25-9, 25-22, 25-14) victory over No. 9 Emporia State in front of a season-high 1,564 fans on Senior night in Lee Arena. The Lady Blues next match will be in the NCAA South Central Regional next week.

Washburn (32-4, 16-4 MIAA) led early in set one, before Emporia State took the lead for good at 14-13. The Lady Blues steamrolled to a set two win 25-9. WU led 10-6 early before an 11-1 run put the set out of reach.

Set three was a back-and-forth battle with the Hornets (28-5, 15-4 MIAA) gaining the early advantage. Washburn rallied from three points down to tie the game at 18, then closed the match on a 5-2 run after a 20-all tie.

The Lady Blues jumped out to an early 3-0 in set four and led 10-4 before ESU closed to within three at 10-7. Washburn closed the set and the match on a 15-7 run.

Senior Kate Hampson, playing possibly her final game in Lee Arena, recorded a double-double with a match-high 43 kills and 16 digs. Freshman Jessica Kopp led the Washburn attack with 12 kills, while Breanna Lewis and Mollie Lacy chipped in 11 and 10, respectively. Molly Smith led the Lady Blues defensively with 18 digs.

Brittney Miller led the Hornets with 15 kills.

Washburn came into the game ranked #3 in the South Central Region, one spot behind Emporia State. The final South Central Regional rankings and seedings for the regional tournament will be released on Sunday at 8 p.m. CST on ncaa.com.