TOPEKA, Kan. – Golden Suns began their 2026 season 1-1 at the Washburn Invitational. Suns took their first match against the Westminster Griffins 3-2, but dropped their match to the No. 8 Washburn Ichabods 0-3.
WESTMINSTER
The Griffins and Golden Suns maintained steady back-and-forth scoring through set one. Griffins went on a six-point run mid-set to create a seven-point gap and put the score at 18-11. With notable kills from Erika Hernandez, Henley Hooks and Ashtyn Werth, the Golden Suns quickly caught up to close the gap but were halted at 22-19. A service error by the Griffins allowed the Golden Suns to score a point making it 24-20, however a kill by the Griffins allowed them to win the set 25-20.
The same energy was carried to set two where the biggest score gap was five points. It began early where the score landed at 5-5 and the Golden Suns gained momentum to lead the rest of the set. Suns went on a four-point run through kills by Henley Hooks, BryAnna Young and Erika Hernandez with the help from setters Kenzie Garrett and Kylie Lambert. In total, the offense had 16 kills and 10 errors for an attack percentage of .154 for the second set. The set stayed consistent with both teams trading points, but the Griffins were the first to hit 20. A kill by Savannah Meyer made the teams tie 20-20, and the Golden Suns were able to take the set 25-23.
After the match was set 1-1, tensions became higher in set three. Though the Griffins scored first, the Golden Suns gained a point from their service error. Once the Griffins made it 3-1, the Suns had a five-point run to take the lead. The scores continued going back-and-forth up until mid-set where the Suns went on a seven-point run to create a 10 point gap at 22-12. The Griffins gained traction to scoop an 11-point run to take the lead at 23-22. The Suns' last play was a kill by BryAnna Young that tied the score 25-25, yet the Griffins prevailed and won set three 27-25.
Set four allowed the Golden Suns to take a lead after the score was tied 5-5. The score hit 11-8 after a kill by Henley Hooks, but the Griffins' offense had a quick turnaround to go on a five-point run to take the lead at 13-11. The Suns then had their turn to make a comeback and had a seven-point run and gained a four-point advantage at 19-15. They kept the drive to finish the set at 25-17 and made the match 2-2.
The Golden Suns were able to pick up a three-point lead to start set five. The Griffins scored one point but the Suns held the lead the entire set. They were able to push through and ended the set 15-7 and won the match 3-2.
Henley Hooks was the leading hitter for the Golden Suns with 19 kills, followed by Erika Hernandez with 11 and Savannah Meyer at 7. With a total of 55 assists, Kenzie Garret had an astounding 30, Kylie Lambert with 11 and Briazia Osborne at 5. Savannah Meyer led in digs at 18, and Karis Brinlee not far with 12 and Ashtyn Werth at 10.
NO. 8 WASHBURN
The Golden Suns were able to keep a close game against Washburn but fell 3-0 to the Ichabods.
The Ichabods led set one on a 3-0 run and the Suns approached with a kill by Henley Hooks. Both teams continued scoring back-and-forth, but the Golden Suns kept the score gap short. This led up to the Ichabods maintaining a lead at 13-10. An attack error allowed the Suns to surge a five-point run to hop into the lead and bring the score to 15-13. Though the Golden Suns had a total of 13 kills and two errors for a total attack percentage of .297, the Ichabods led set one with 19 kills and four errors. The rest of set one maintained a score gap of two, but the Suns were hindered by a service error and allowed the Ichabods to go on a three-point run and win the set 25-21.
Set two also held the same momentum where both teams stayed toe-to-toe. The score stayed within a three-point range but took off after an attack error by the Suns. The Ichabods took the run at 18-15 to widen the gap, and Washburn finished the set 25-19.
Washburn brought the energy to set three and took the lead immediately at 7-0. The Golden Suns' offense had swooped in by 17-7 to collect nine points and close the gap at 20-16. Washburn kept the lead and took the last set at 25-19.
Henley Hooks was again the leading hitter in kills with 9 total, and Erika Hernandez at 7 and Sammie Smith at 6. Briazia Osborne led in assists with 14, following right behind at 12 is Kenzie Garret, and Karis Brinlee led in 12 total digs.
UP NEXT
The Golden Suns hit the court again on Saturday, August 29 to conclude their play at the Washburn Invitational. Their first match will be against Oklahoma Christian at 11:30 a.m. and their second will be against William Jewell at 4:30 p.m.
