Under new volleyball coach Mary Kay Van Oort, the Jefferson girls are suddenly full of spunk.

No longer the doormat they used to be, they made it clear Tuesday night that they're a team to be reckoned with by dominating Washington 3-1 on the Warriors' home court.

''Wash is a high quality team,” said Van Oort, who inherited a squad that managed a mere 4-32 mark last year.

“We've had some close games this year, but we haven't had a lot of success with really good teams.

“This win is the first we've had against such a high level team.”

And it wasn't even close, somewhat surprising since Washington all season has been in one nail-biter after another.

“We came out flat, no question about it,” said hard-luck Washington first year coach Amy Faulkner. “We have go to play every game with intensity and energy. We didn't do that tonight.”

Jefferson (12-15) seized the momentum early, winning the first two games 25-17 and 25-22.

The Warriors showed some life in the next set by jumping out to a 19-7 lead.

But the J-Hawks showed as much moxie by going on an 11-2 run and making a game of it.

The Warriors (12-13) squeaked out a 25-21 victory, but Jefferson sealed the deal with a 25-20 fourth-set wire-to-wire win.

“Winning the first two games was a real key,” Van Oort said. “It gave us a lot of confidence.

“And then when we came back in the third game after dropping 12 points behind, that gave us momentum going into the fourth set.

“I was really happy that the girls stayed positive even when they got down. All the girls played well. It was a real team effort.”

Faulkner saw the third game as pivotal, also.

“We let them battle back,” she said. “We've got to be able to finish out games like that."

There was no question the J-Hawks displayed more spark.

Supremely talented 6-foot-1 sophomore Amanda Ollinger set the tone by winding up and scoring some monster kills early.

She finished the night with a team-leading 29.

“Our setters were really giving me some good passes so I could get clean hits,” said Ollinger, who recorded kills from both the net and the back line. “Everyone on our team played play well tonight. It was the best we've played all year."

The next tallest starter for the J-Hawks is only 5-foot-9, but the undersized front line effectively blocked Washington's much taller phalanx of big hitters.

Led by little 5-foot-2 libero Keanna Pledge's 30 digs, they also dove the floor for point-saving returns.

“They're a very scrappy bunch,” Faulkner pointed out. “They don't let the ball touch the ground.”

Van Oort says her team is always smaller than anyone they come up against.

“For us to win,” she said, “we have to work harder and play smart.”

They even got eight kills from Kayla Jaschen (5-foot-4) and seven from Cierra Maas (5-foot-9).

And 5-foot-6 senior setter Kaylie Zitek collected 42 assists.

Ollinger, however, is the big dog in the J-Hawk attack.

Three straight smashes closed out the second game, and she led the third-set rally both with line drive serves and even some dink shots.

In the deciding fourth game, Ollinger was a one-woman wrecking ball.

She blasted 13 kills in that game alone, off-setting a last-gasp flurry of shots by Warrior aces Aleena Hobbs and Dani Franklin.

“We pushed hard the whole way,” said Ollinger. “That's the difference from last season.

“Mary Kay and the other coaches have done an amazing job of turning this program around. They stress the little things and getting us to play to the best of our ability.”

And, as they're learning, winning can also be fun.