Women's Volleyball | 10/17/2022 8:58:00 PM
Game 23
Emporia State Hornets (4-18, 1-12 MIAA)
at #12 Washburn Ichabods (17-4, 9-4 MIAA)
Tuesday, Oct. 18 • 6:00 p.m. • Lee Arena • Topeka, Kan.
Series Record: ESU leads 64-45
Last Meeting: WU 3, ESU 0 (9/13/22)
The MIAA Network •
Live Stats •
Ticket Info •
Complete Notes in pdf
Up Next: Newman
Friday, Oct. 21 • 6:00 p.m. • White Auditorium • Emporia, Kan.
TURNPIKE TUSSLE ROUND TWO
Emporia State completes their three-game road stretch against ranked opponents as they travel to Washburn to take on the #10 ranked Ichabods on Tuesday night.
LAST TIME OUT
The Hornets traveled into the Show Me State for a match against the #15 Northwest Missouri Bearcats on Saturday. Emporia State rallied in the first set to take down the Bearcats 25-22 following a 10-2 run late in the set. Northwest Missouri was able to rally back and take the match in four sets.
Zuzanna Buchnajzer led the Hornets with a career-high 14 kills.
THE COACHES
Bing Xu is in his 18th season as head coach for Emporia State. He holds a record of 297-231 and has led the Hornets to five NCAA Tournament appearances. He is 5-32 against Washburn.
Chris Herron is 571-117 in his 21st season at Washburn. He is 32-10 against Emporia State.
SCOUTING THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 4-18 this season and 1-12 in the MIAA. In attack, the Hornets are led by
Leah Mach, who has 220 kills on the season and averages 2.72 kills per set. Her average ranks 16th in the MIAA.
Orianna Clements joins Mach with more than two kills per set as she has totaled 156 kills on the season.
Shelby Ebert ranks fourth on the Hornets in kills with 120 on the season before rotated to libero for the last seven matches. As a result,
Megan Stretton has returned to outside hitter and has 47 kills over her last six matches played. At the setter position, the Hornets are led by
Riley Bernskoetter and
Ainslee Stepp who combine for 8.45 assists per set. Through the middle,
Winny Harris leads the way for Emporia State with 36 blocks on the season. Newcomers
Zuzanna Buchnajzer and
McKenya Sorrells have emerged for the Hornets. Sorrells leads the Hornets with a .201 hitting percentage and Buchnajzer ranks second with a .192 percentage on the season.
SCOUTING WASHBURN
The Ichabods are 17-4 on the season and 9-4 in the MIAA and are ranked #12 in the latest coaches poll. Washburn currently is in 4th place in the MIAA as the top five teams are just 2.5 games apart. In attack, Washburn is led by sophomore Jalyn Stevenson on the outside who has 224 kills on the season and is averaging 2.95 per set which ranks 11th in the MIAA. In addition to Stevenson three other Icahbods are averaging at least two kills per set. Middle hitters Halle Meister and Kassidy Pfeiffer are both eclipsing hitting percentages of .300 as they are hitting .352 and .323 respectively. Meister's percentage ranks third in the MIAA and she leads the Ichabods with 59 blocks. Sophie McMullen leads Washburn with 37 service aces which ranks second in the MIAA just behind
Shelby Ebert.
SERIES HISTORY
Emporia State leads the series 64-45.
LAST TIME VS. THE BEARCATS
Earlier this season, Emporia State took on Washburn in the third match of a four match homestand to begin MIAA action. The Hornets were able to take an early lead against the Ichabods in the first of the match but were unable to hold the advantage as Washburn put together a scoring run late in the set. Emporia State could not counter the Ichabod momentum in the next two sets as the Hornets eventually fell in three sets. In the match, Washburn was able to generate 42 kills to 35 for the Hornets while outblocking Emporia State 10-2.
Winny Harris led the Hornets with 8 kills as she hit .636 in the match
UP NEXT
Emporia State will return home for their final homestand of the season as the next two four matches will take place in White Auditorium. The Hornets will take on Newman on Friday, October 21 before a match against #19 Central Oklahoma on Saturday, October 22. The match against the Bronchos will be the fifth in the last seven matches against a ranked opponent.
EBERT EXPERIENCE
Shelby Ebert (Sr./Topeka, Kan.) has led the Hornets in sets played in the last two full seasons and is continuing the trend as she has played in all 81 sets for the Hornets. So far this season, Ebert has recorded 120 kills for 1.48 per set. She has also recorded 38 service aces this season which currently leads the MIAA. After playing strictly outside hitter for the Hornets through the first half of the season, Ebert swapped jerseys to take on the libero role in the last seven matches for the Hornets as she has tallied 135 digs in the seven matches to lead the Hornets. On the season, Ebert ranks second in digs for Emporia State with 272 on the season.
Off the court, Ebert was named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll for 2021.
READY ORI NOT
Orianna Clements (Sr./Stillwater, Okla.) led the way for Emporia State last season with 189 kills and ranks second this season with 156 kills while averaging 2.03 per set. Clements has played in 77 of 81 sets for the Hornets after playing in 94 of 97 last season. In defense, she has tallied 20 total blocks on the outside this season.
MACH SPEED
Leah Mach (So./Lincoln, Neb.) was third on the Hornets with 182 kills in her freshman season during 2021 and has surpassed that total this season. Mach has played in all 81 sets while recording 220 kills to lead the way for Emporia State. Her total ranks seventh in the MIAA while her average of 2.72 per set ranks 16th. She posted a career-high 18 kills in the Emporia State four set victory over Southeastern Oklahoma before matching that total the next week against Fort Hays State. On the defensive side, Mach shows her all-around ability as she ranks third on the Hornets with 223 digs with an average of 2.75 per set while also recording 18 total blocks on the season.
STRETTON IN STYLE
Megan Stretton (Jr./Topeka, Kan.) has primarily played libero for the Hornets this season before transitioning to outside hitter in recent matches. After playing on the outside since arriving at Emporia State during the shortened spring season of 2021, Stretton has played in all 77 sets for the Hornets with 55 coming in the libero position. She leads the Hornets while ranking seventh in the MIAA in total digs with 329 on the season. Her average of 4.32 per set ranks ninth in the MIAA. Her season and career high of 28 digs came in a four set victory over Southeastern Oklahoma during the UCO-OC Tournament. Stretton has shown versatility in her short career with the Hornets as she ranked top four for Emporia State in both kills and digs last season. After playing the first 15 matches at libero, Stretton swapped places with Ebert and transitioned back to outside hitter as she recorded 47 kills in the last six matches.
Off the court, Stretton was one of eight Hornet players and five returners that earned MIAA Academic Honor Roll honors.
BURNING UP
Riley Bernskoetter (Sr./Jefferson City, Mo.) averaged over three assists per set in her freshman season before averaging over seven last season. This season she paces the Hornets in assists with 365 this season with an average of 4.51 per set. In the match against Missouri Southern, Bernskoetter recorded a season-high 29 assists while also surpassing 1,000 career assists. She also makes an impact on the defensive side as she is fourth on the Hornets with 154 digs on the season.
Off the court, Bernskoetter was named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll for the 2021 season.
STEPP TO SET
Ainslee Stepp (So./Kansas City, Mo.) has accompanied Bernskoetter as part of the two-setter system for the Hornets as she is recording nearly four assists per set at 3.94. Stepp has tallied 307 assists for the Hornets. Similar to Bernskoetter, Stepp also recorded her season-high against Missouri Southern with 28 assists to bring the total between the two setters to a season-high 57 in the five set match.
Over the last two matches, Stepp has rotated on the outside for the Hornets and in the last match against Northwest Missouri, Stepp recorded six hills on 14 attempts for a .429 hitting percentage.
FINDING DORI
Dorianne Lebron (Gr./Guayama, Puerto Rico) has played in 46 sets for Emporia State this season. Lebron has recorded 41 kills this season while hitting .126. Defensively is where Lebron shines for the Hornets as she is second on the Hornets with 26 total blocks while also being tied for second with four solo blocks.
Last season, Lebron led the Hornets with 64 total blocks which ranked in the top 20 in the MIAA.
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POLISH PRESENCE
Zuzanna Buchnajzer (So./Lodz, Poland) is in her sophomore season and first with the Hornets after transferring from Quincy. Buchnajzer has been an important rotation piece for Emporia State in her first season. She has played in 71 of 81 sets for the Hornets on the outside while recording 136 kills at a rate of 1.92 per set. Her total of 136 kills and average of 1.92 both rank third on the Hornets this season. In addition to her amount of total kills, Buchnajzer is second among all Hornets with a .192 hitting percentage. The impact of Buchnajzer on the outside is also felt on the defensive side of the net as she has recorded 24 total blocks which ranks fourth on the Hornets.
In the last match, Buchnajzer recorded a career high 14 kills against #15 Northwest Missouri in her third match of double-digit kills this season.
WINNING HARRIS
Winny Harris (Jr./Atchison, Kan.) has become another emerging threat for Emporia State through the middle this season. Harris tied her then career high against #12 Washburn with eight kills on .636 hitting earlier this season. The Turnpike Tussle was followed by another ranked matchup against #10 Northwest Missouri and a five set victory over William Jewell completed a three game stretch where Harris recorded 24 kills while hitting .476. In the matchup against William Jewell, she set a new career high with nine kills while also adding a pair of blocks. On the season, Harris is leading the Hornets with nine solo blocks and 36 total blocks on the season.
Off the court, Winny was named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll for the 2021 season.
LONE STAR SORRELLS
McKenya Sorrells (Jr./Pflugerville, Tex.) is in her first season with the Hornets after transferring from Hill College where she led the team in solo blocks while being second in total blocks. She also ranked fourth in total kills. Sorrells has emerged since the beginning of MIAA action for Emporia State as her first match played came against #6 Nebraska-Kearney and she played in all 13 matches since her debut. Over the course of the last 13 matches, she has recorded 54 kills including a season high nine against William Jewell. On the defensive side of the net, she has recorded 27 blocks to rank second on the Hornets, including a season high four against Missouri Southern. Sorrells also has three or more blocks in five matches this season.
NEW STRAWN NEWCOMER
Caydence Doebele (Fr./New Strawn, Kan.) is in her first season with the Hornets as a middle hitter. Doebele has played in just over half of the total sets with 33 played on the season. She is averaging just under one per set with 29 on the season with a hitting percentage of .114. Her presence in her freshman campaign has primarily been on the defensive side of the net as she has 20 total blocks on the season. Her career high came against Southeastern Oklahoma to close out the UCO-OC Tournament as she had six total blocks including two solos. Doebele also tied her career high in the match with six kills which she has reached on three occasions this season.
XU TWO
Grace Xu (Fr./Emporia, Kan.) has played in 15 sets this season for the Hornets, with nine coming over the last three matches. Xu has primarily rotated at setter and has 47 assists for an average of 3.13 per set. In the last match against Northwest Missouri, she also rotated briefly on the outside as she recorded a pair of kills.
TOUGH TEST
Emporia State has played 13 MIAA matches so far this season and in those 13 conference matchups, the Hornets have played seven matches against teams ranked inside the top 25 in the latest coaches poll. The remaining schedule will continue to remain difficult as two of the next three matches come against top 20 opponents and the regular season finale comes against Central Misssouri who is currently receiving the most votes outside the top 25.
MIAA MAGNITUDE
In the latest AVCA Division II Coaches Poll, four MIAA teams are ranked in the top 25 with two teams ranked inside the top ten and Central Missouri receiving the most votes outside the top 25. As a conference, the MIAA has held three of the eight spots in the Central Region during the postseason including in 2021 when four MIAA teams made it to the NCAA Tournament. In addition to making the tournament, the MIAA has had a team make the national semifinals in each of the last three years with a team making the national championship in each of the last two full seasons.
CENTRAL REGION RECOGNITION
In addition to the recent success from the MIAA perspective in both the Central Region and nationally over the past few seasons, the entire Central Region has become a constant presence in the AVCA Division II Coaches Poll and more specifically the top ten. In the latest poll, the Central Region makes up 9 of the top 25 schools and eight of the top 13 teams in the nation. In addition to success in the regular season rankings, the Central Region has placed a school in the championship match in four of the last five full seasons.
IN THE CLASSROOM
Last year, and for the 11th straight year, the Hornet Volleyball team earned the USMC/AVCA Academic Honor which honors schools with that maintain a team GPA above 3.30. In addition to this honor, five returning members were named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll last year while eight of the nine returning players were named to the 2021 Emporia State Athletic Director Honor Roll.
