EMPORIA STATE VOLLEYBALL TO WRAP UP SEASON AT HOME

WRAPPING IT UP
Emporia State plays the final two matches of the season this weekend against #6 Neb.-Kearney on Friday before ending the season with an in-state showdown with Ft. Hays State on Senior Day. This will be the final matches for seniors Katie Deutschmann, Courtney Haring and Carly Spicer.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Courtney Haring had a career high 17 kills along with eight block assists as Emporia State defeated Pittsburg State in four sets on Saturday night in White Auditorium.
The first set was tight with neither team taking more than a two point lead.  There were 13 ties and three lead changes before the Hornets pulled out a 27-25 win. In the second set Emporia State got out to a 5-1 lead and led 20-14 before Pittsburg State started a comeback. The Gorillas took their first lead at 23-22 before the Hornets got to their first set point at 24-23.  Both teams traded off set points before Pitt State took a 27-25 win to even the match.
After a 1-1 tie in the third set, the Hornets raced out to a 9-3 lead and never trailed on the way to a 25-17 win to take a 2-1 lead.  Emporia State used a 9-0 run to turn a two point deficit into a 17-10 lead in the fourth set before cruising to a 25-17 win to seal the match.
Haring added eight blocks to her match high 17 kills on .289 hitting.  Carly Spicer joined her in double figures with 15 kills on .314 hitting with 23 digs.  Kimberly Bell also had a double double with 27 assists and ten digs..

THE COACHES
Bing Xu is 225-97 in his tenth year as the head coach at Emporia State.  He has led the Hornets to five NCAA Tournaments. He is 0-6 against Neb.-Kearney and 17-1 against Ft. Hays State.
Rick Squiers is 505-71 in his 16th season at Neb.-Kearney and 711-130 in his 22nd year as a head coach. He is 8-0 against Emporia State.
Kurt Koehler is 117-129 in his sixth year at Ft. Hays State. He is 1-10 against Emporia State.
 
SCOUTING THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 14-11 on the season, 10-10 in the MIAA and have won four of their last six matches.  Eight of the Hornets 25 matches this year have gone five sets with Emporia State going 4-4 in those matches.  Only nine of the Hornets 23 matches have been sweeps and there has been at least one set go to extra points in four of those eight.
Carly Spicer is fifth in the MIAA at 3.66 kills per set.  She has at least ten kills 19 of 25 matches this season and has recorded double-doubles in 16 matches in her first year playing the full rotation. She had her first career 20-20 match with a career high 22 kills to go with 24 digs in four sets at Central Oklahoma. She had a career high 25 digs to go with 17 kills and three blocks at Pittsburg State. She has failed to reach double figures in either kills or digs in just two matches this season.
Courtney Haring is averaging 1.15 blocks per set to rank fourth in the MIAA. She is the Emporia State record holder in block assists with 411 and her 503 total blocks are second all-time for the Hornets. Tammy Cox holds the Emporia State career total blocks record with 612 from 1989-92. She is also averaging 2.18 kills per set on a team best .278 hitting percentage. She had a career high 17 kills to go with eight blocks against Pittsburg State. She had 11 kills and nine blocks, with four of them solo, in the Hornets win at Central Missouri.
Kelly Holden is seventh in the MIAA in digs and is averaging 4.51 per set. After getting nine digs in the first match of the year, she recorded at least ten in 23 of 24 matches. She had a career high 25 in four sets at Southwest Baptist, again against Missouri Western in five sets and then last weekend in the five set win at Central Missouri. She has nine 20 matches on the season, including a three set high of 21 at. Ft. Hays State.
Kimberly Bell is averaging 6.01 assists and Sydney Hartman 4.19 assists per set in the Hornets two-setter system.
 
SCOUTING THE LOPERS
Neb.-Kearney is 25-3 on the year, 17-3 in the MIAA and ranked #6 in this week's AVCA National Poll. Kelle Carver has a .302 hitting percentage to rank fifth in the MIAA and is averaging 2.82 kills per set to lead a balanced Loper attack. Setter Erin Seele is second in the MIAA at 11.63 assists per set. On the return Liz McGowan is averaging 4.47 digs per set to rank eighth in the MIAA.
  
LAST TIME AGAINST NEB.-KEARNEY
Emporia State fell in three sets at #5 Neb.-Kearney at the Health & Sports Center in Kearney, Neb.
The Hornets never led in the first set as the Lopers rolled to a 25-9 win.  Emporia State battled back in the second set forcing 13 ties and five lead changes before falling 25-23.  The Hornets were tied at 19 in the third set after eight ties and three lead changes, but the Lopers ended the match on a 6-2 run for the 25-21 win and 3-0 sweep.
Carly Spicer and Josie Williams each had six kills to pace the Hornets while Kelly Holden had 18 digs in the three sets..
 
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the 40th meeting between Emporia State and Neb.-Kearney. The Lopers lead the all-time series 29-10 and have won 11 in a row dating back to the 1990 season.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Ft. Hays State is 13-16 on the year and 7-13 in the MIAA. Mallory Flagor is averaging 3.16 kills per set to rank tenth in the MIAA. In a two-setter system Libby Ary is averaging 5.62 assists and Kristin Conor 4.88 assists per set. Keanu Bradley is third in the MIAA at 5.37 digs per set.
  
LAST TIME AGAINST FT. HAYS STATE
Katie Deutschmann had a monster match for Emporia State as the Hornets swept Ft. Hays State in Hays, Kan. The first set was the closest with 12 ties and six lead changes.  The Hornets led 16-11 only to see the Tigers roar back and take a 24-22 lead. Emporia State fought off two set points and scored the final four points of the set to take a 26-24 win.
The last two sets were fairly easy for the Hornets. Emporia State jumped out to an 8-0 lead and never trailed in a 25-15 set two win.  The third set started with two lead changes and four ties, the last at 6-6 when the Hornets went on a 6-0 run to take control. They would score the final four points, the last on a kill by Deutschmann, to take a 25-13 win.
Deutschmann finished with 16 kills on .438 hitting with six digs, three assists and two blocks. Courtney Haring had seven kills and six blocks for the Hornets. Despite just playing three sets, Kelly Holden extended her string of 20 dig matches to three and six of her last seven matches with 21 digs. Kimberly Bell had 22 assists while Sydney Hartman dished 16 for Emporia State.
 
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the 81st meeting between Emporia State and Ft. Hays State. The Hornets hold a 54-26 lead in the all-time series

NEXT SERVE
This is the final match of the 2014 season. There is no MIAA Tournament this season due to the timing of the NCAA Division II Fall Sports Festival and the number of matches needed for the MIAA regular season schedule.