Women's Volleyball | 9/7/2012 4:02:00 PM
Sept. 7, 2012 – The Emporia State volleyball team earned a split on the first day of the Middle of Everywhere Classic in Rolla, Mo. The Hornets faced a tough test from Northern Michigan, and fell in five sets (25-16, 23-25, 25-16, 21-25, 8-15) in its first match but defeated Missouri- St. Louis in three sets (25-21, 26-24, 25-16) in the evening game.
Emporia State is now 5-1. Northern Michigan improved to 5-1 while UMSL fell to 2-4.
The first match saw 14 ties and seven lead changes.
Three Hornets recorded double-doubles. Paige Vanderpool had 12 kills and 17 digs, Katie Deutschmann had 13 kills and 21 assists, and Brianna Kaiser added 11 kills and 13 digs. Senior libero Meg Schwartz led Emporia State with 24 digs. Setter Sydney Hartman led with 29 assists. Courtney Haring was the Hornets’ leading blocker with one solo block and six block assists.
The Hornets took the first set 25-16, and had a team hitting percentage of .421. Morgan Buckner, Deutschmann, and Vanderpool each had four kills while Schwartz tallied nine digs.
Emporia State held the lead for the majority of set two, with Kaiser accounting for six kills in the set. With Emporia State ahead 22-18, the Wildcats went on a 7-1 run to close out the set - blocking two attacks from Kaiser at 22-23 and 23-23 – defeating the Hornets 25-23.
Momentum carried over to the start of the third set, as Emporia State found itself behind 7-1 early. The Hornets then went on a 9-1 run to lead 0-8, which they never relinquished. Vanderpool and Schwartz each provided service aces to power the rally as Emporia State added five blocks in the set to win decisively 25-16. Hitting errors in plagued Northern Michigan, where they hit -.184.
In the fourth set, Northern Michigan scored four straight points at the 9-7 mark, extending the lead to 13-7, the start of a 10-3 run. Emporia State put together a five point run down 16-23, but fell in set four 21-25.
The Hornets earned the first point of set five, but the Wildcats went on a 7-2 run and held a 7-3 lead, which proved decisive. Northern Michigan called timeout after the Hornets cut the lead to 11-7 through two kills from Buckner and a service error. The Wildcats then blocked a Raney Okeson attack, and held on for final set victory.
Emporia State rebounded from its loss to Northern Michigan with a victory over UMSL in straight sets. As a team, the Hornets held the Tritons to a .066 hitting percentage for the match, as UMSL saw their hitting percentage decrease each set.
Kaiser earned her second double-double of the day with 14 kills and 15 digs. Schwartz led the team in digs with 22 and three service aces. Haring had three block assists against the Tritons, while Deutschmann and Hartman compiled 17 assists each.
The Hornets held the lead for the entire first set, holding the Tritons at bay after gaining an early 3-0 advantage. Deutschmann distributed the ball well, allowing Carly Spicer to register a team-high four kills in the first set.
UMSL opened set two with a 7-0 run, stopped by a Kaiser kill. Kaiser's ensuing service ace allowed the Hornets to chip away at the lead. The Hornets went on a 10-4 run, causing the Tritons to call timeout with the score 11-10. Emporia State tied the set at 16-16 on another Kaiser kill, completing the comeback. The set was tied at 22-22 and 24-24. Kaiser powered the Hornets to a hard earned victory with the 25th and 26th points.
The Hornets sealed the match by hitting a match-best .242 in the final set. With Emporia State ahead 10-7, Schwartz served back-to-back aces, giving the Hornets a five point cushion. Schwartz found herself at the serving line again when an attack error by Haley Woods, who led the Tritons with 11 kills, gave the Hornets their fifth victory of 2012.
The Hornets open day two of the Middle of Everywhere Classic versus No. 3 Southwest Minnesota State at 9 a.m. Emporia State concludes the tournament with a 3 p.m. match against Upper Iowa.
