October 11, 2021 – Emporia State took on Fort Hays State Monday night from White Auditorium. The Hornets came from two sets down to defeat the Tigers 3-2.
In the first set, Fort Hays State jumped out to an early 6-2 lead. The Hornets would respond well and held a lead in the first set as late as 19-18. Despite claiming the lead, the
Tigers would take it back and eventually win the first set 25-23.
The second set saw the Tigers take control with a 15-9 lead midway through the second set. The Hornets fought back and trimmed the lead to 19-18. Fort Hays State was able to hold off Emporia State and finish off the set 25-23 to take a 2-0 lead.
The Hornets were able to turn a corner in the third set, taking an early 10-4 over the Tigers. A quick response by the Tigers prompted the Hornets to take a timeout leading 12-8. Despite the run by Fort Hays State, Emporia State responded well and closed out the third set 25-17.
Emporia State traded points for the early portion of the fourth set with Fort Hays State before taking control with a 12-8 lead halfway through the half. The remainder of the set was relatively even, and the Hornets would eventually win the set 25-20 and push the match to a fifth and final set.
The final set was tightly contested, and Fort Hays State was forced to call back-to-back timeouts with the Hornets leading 8-5. The Tigers rallied to tie the set at 13 points each. Despite the comeback, Emporia State would score three of four points and take the set 16-14 and the match 3-2.
Megan Stretton led the way for the Hornets with 17 kills and a .269 hitting percentage. Three other Emporia State players reached double-digit kills on the evening.
Ainslee Stepp led the way with 32 assists in the final three sets.
Rylie Fornelli led the way on defense for the Hornets with 35 digs.
The Hornets will be back in action on October 15
th as they hit the road for a match against Missouri Western in St. Joseph, MO. The match is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m.
