Hampshire setter Kylie Lambert was in command on offense as the Whip-Purs tipped off the 2025 volleyball season with a Fox Valley Conference win against Jacobs on Tuesday evening.

The Arkansas Tech recruit moved the ball around the court, dishing out 13 assists to lead the Whip-Purs over the Golden Eagles 25-22, 25-15. One of eight seniors on the 2025 roster, Lambert added one ace and one dig for a Hampshire squad eager to follow up a highly successful 2024 campaign in which the Whip-Purs finished 29-8 and won an IHSA 4A regional title.

“The entire team has been so excited to get back out on the court, especially the eight seniors,” Lambert said. “We’re all hungry and these last few practices have been so intense and energetic. We’re excited to be back on the court and get the season rolling.”

Hampshire (1-0) pulled ahead early in the first set, breaking off a run of six consecutive points with Ella Ingve behind the service line. Service errors plagued Jacobs (0-1) throughout the first set, with the Golden Eagles committing four by the midway point of the set.

“I thought we played with some energy, but we lost a little momentum at the start of the game,” Jacobs head coach Mike Depa said. “We picked it up a little toward the end with our serve. Our serve receive struggled at times, but there were other moments where we defended some really good passes. I think there were some first-game jitters.”

Hampshire hitter and UIC recruit Elizabeth King was the primary weapon for the Hampshire offense in the first set, where she posted four kills and utilized a powerful jump serve to pressure the Jacobs back line. While the Golden Eagles trailed 21-13 late in the set, a 5-0 run behind a trio of service aces from Hailie Barton brought Jacobs back and forced Hampshire coach Omar Cortez to spend a timeout.

The Golden Eagles also found success attacking the middle, where 6-foot-1 hitter and Gardner-Webb recruit Gracyn Sanders notched three kills during the first set to spark the Jacobs offense. But a fifth service error in the set proved costly for the Golden Eagles, as Hampshire took a 1-0 lead in the match and overcame a tough Jacobs defensive wall to build an 11-6 advantage in the second set.

“We know if we can get our pass to our middle hitters, they can put the ball down and away,” Depa said. “We want them involved as much as possible.”

While King stood out in the opening set, Hampshire hitter Katelyn Petterson took her turn in the spotlight during the second set, capitalizing on accurate outside passes from Lambert to finish the match with six kills, tying King for the team lead. The Whip-Purs took a 17-9 lead late in the second set and forced a pair of Jacobs timeouts down the stretch as they inched closer to their first win of the season.

“I want to spread out my offense,” Lambert said. “When I see open spots on the court, I’m going to take advantage of that. When we spread out the block, I can put my hitters in the best situation possible.”

Ingve collected six assists and two aces for the Whip-Purs, who bring back a talented group of experienced players from a team that finished fourth in the FVC and advanced to an IHSA 4A sectional last season. On the Jacobs side, Gianna Coletti sent out eight assists, while Barton and Sanders combined for five blocks to anchor the Golden Eagles, who won 13 matches and reached the IHSA 4A regional finals in 2024.

“We have high hopes and we want to go far,” Lambert said. “We don’t want to look to far ahead and we don’t want to be overconfident. We want to stay humble so we can have that success and make some history for our school.”