September 28, 2018- Emporia State Volleyball fell 3-2 on Friday to Pittsburg State in Pittsburg, Kan. The Hornets jumped out to an early two set lead winning the first two sets 25-21 and 25-18 before the home team won three straight sets to take the win.
In the first set, the Hornets jumped out to an early 7-1 lead and never looked back. The Hornets would not allow the Gorillas closer than within four points the entire set on the way to a 25-21 set win. The Hornets had a slower start in set two but would eventually lead 14-8 midway through the set. The Hornets attack kept the Gorillas from getting within four points on the way to a 25-18 set two win for a 2-0 match lead.
The home team found their momentum in the third set as the Gorillas took an early 10-6 lead. The Hornets kept the set close as the Gorillas would never lead by more than five points but were unable to regain the lead, falling 25-20. The Gorillas jumped out to an early 6-2 lead in set four and would not allow the Hornets to gain the lead in the set on their way to a 25-17 match tying set win. The Gorillas carried their momentum into the final set as they took a 6-1 lead early in the set. The Hornets were unable to recover and the Gorillas went on to win set five 15-9 to take the match 3-2.
The Hornets were led by Yuchen Du with a double-double of 15 kills and 19 assists. Tatum Graves joined Du with 15 kills while Emma Dixon had a team high 24 assists. Allie Maloney led the Hornets with 24 digs, joined in double digits by Jordan Evans with 18 and Taylor Otting with 15.
The Hornets will be back in action on Saturday as they take on #18 Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Ok.
