Women's Volleyball | 10/25/2022 9:20:00 AM
Games 26-27
Emporia State Hornets (4-21, 1-15 MIAA)
vs. Missouri Southern Lions (10-14, 5-10 MIAA)
Wednesday, Oct. 24 • 6:00 p.m. • White Auditorium • Emporia, Kan.
Series Record: ESU leads 51-32
Last Meeting: MSSU 3, ESU 2 (10/1/22)
vs. Pittsburg State Gorillas (14-11, 8-8 MIAA)
Thursday, Oct. 27 • 5:00 p.m. • White Auditorium • Emporia, Kan.
Series Record: ESU leads 73-30
Last Meeting: PSU 3, ESU 0 (9/30/22)
The MIAA Network •
Live Stats •
Ticket Info •
Complete Notes in pdf
Up Next: at Missouri Western
Friday, Nov. 4 • 6:00 p.m. • Looney Fieldhouse • St. Joseph, Mo.
HOMECOMING WEEK
Emporia State will take on Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State in their final two home matches of the season during Emporia State's Homecoming Week.
LAST TIME OUT
The Hornets took on Newman and #19 Central Oklahoma over the weekend and were able to take the first set against the Jets before falling in four sets. Emporia State then fell to the Bronchos in straight sets.
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THE COACHES
Bing Xu is 297-234 in his 18th season at ESU and has led the Hornets to five NCAA Tournament appearances. He is 22-5 against MSSU and 20-14 against PSU.
Kalie Mader is 41-103 in her fifth season at MSSU. She is 3-3 against ESU.
Jen Gomez is 74-96 in her sixth season at PSU. She is 6-5 against ESU.
SCOUTING THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 4-21 this season and 1-135in the MIAA. In attack, the Hornets are led by
Leah Mach, who has 237 kills on the season and averages 2.60 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 167 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 ten matches. As a result,
Megan Stretton has returned to outside hitter and has 66 kills over her last nine matches played. At the setter position, the Hornets are led by
Riley Bernskoetter and
Ainslee Stepp who combine for 8.35 assists per set. Through the middle,
Winny Harris leads the way for Emporia State with 44 blocks on the season. Newcomers
Zuzanna Buchnajzer and
McKenya Sorrells have emerged for the Hornets. Buchnajzer is second on the Hornets with a .190 hitting percentage while Sorrells is hitting .188 to rank third on the team.
SCOUTING MISSOURI SOUTHERN
The Lions are 10-14 on the season and 5-10 in the MIAA. The attack is led by Fernanda Canedo who has 299 kills on the season with 3.08 per set which ranks seventh in the MIAA. At the setter position, Sophie Mader has tallied 892 assists and an average of 9.10 assists per set.
SERIES HISTORY
Emporia State leads the series 51-32.
LAST TIME VS. THE LIONS
Earlier this season, Emporia State traveled to Missouri Southern to take on the Lions in a match that took five sets. The Hornets were unable to hold off the Lions after leading 2-1 in the match as they fell in five sets.
SCOUTING PITTSBURG STATE
The Gorillas are 14-11 and are currently sixth in the MIAA with an 8-8 record. In attack, Pittsburg State is led by Meg Auten and Janae Thurston who are averaging 3.26 and 2.99 which both rank in the top 11 in the MIAA. Setter Brianna Richard ranks fourth in the MIAA with 10.68 assists per set. Marissa Bates ranks third with 5.23 digs per set from the libero position.
SERIES HISTORY
Emporia State leads the series 73-30.
LAST TIME VS. THE GORILLAS
Earlier this season, Emporia State took on the Gorillas during the first MIAA roadtrip of the season in match that the Hornets fell in three sets.
UP NEXT
Emporia State will travel to Missouri Western and Central Missouri for their final two matches of the season. The Hornets will take on the Griffons on Friday, November 4 before playing the Jennies on Saturday, November 5.
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 91 sets for the Hornets. So far this season, Ebert has recorded 120 kills for 1.32 per set. She has also recorded 40 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 ten matches for the Hornets as she has tallied 184 digs in that span to lead the Hornets. On the season, Ebert ranks second in digs for Emporia State with 321 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 167 kills while averaging 1.99 per set. Clements has played in 84 of 91 sets for the Hornets after playing in 94 of 97 last season. In defense, she has tallied 23 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 84 sets while recording 237 kills to lead the way for Emporia State. Her total ranks seventh in the MIAA while her average of 2.60 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 239 digs with an average of 2.63 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 87 of 91 sets for the Hornets with 55 coming in the libero position. She leads the Hornets while ranking ninth in the MIAA in total digs with 349 and tenth in digs per set at 4.01. 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 has recorded 66 kills in the last nine matches played.
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 398 this season with an average of 4.42 per set. In the last 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 166 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 3.93. Stepp has tallied 346 assists for the Hornets. Similar to Bernskoetter, Stepp also recorded her season-high in the last meeting with Missouri Southern with 28 assists to bring the total between the two setters to a season-high 57 in the five set match.
She has also rotated at outside hitter in multiple matches this season and recorded a season-high seven kills against #12 Washburn.
FINDING DORI
Dorianne Lebron (Gr./Guayama, Puerto Rico) has played in 48 sets for Emporia State this season. Lebron has recorded 44 kills this season for an average of just under one kill per set. Defensively is where Lebron shines for the Hornets as she is third on the Hornets with 27 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.
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 81 of 91 sets for the Hornets on the outside while recording 157 kills at a rate of 1.94 per set. Her total of 157 kills and average of 1.94 both rank third on the Hornets this season. In addition to her amount of total kills, Buchnajzer is second among all Hornets with a .190 hitting percentage. The impact of Buchnajzer on the outside is also felt on the defensive side of the net as she has recorded 26 total blocks which ranks fourth on the Hornets.
Against #15 Northwest Missouri she recorded a career high 14 kills in her third match of double-digit kills this season.
WINNING HARRIS
Winny Harris (Jr./Atchison, Kan.) has emerged in the middle for the Hornets as she has played in 65 sets this season and played a large role in MIAA action. Harris has 86 kills on the season for an average of 1.32 per set while leading the Hornets with a .195 hitting percentage. She also leads Emporia State with 10 solo blocks and 44 total blocks on the season. Earlier this season in a three-match stretch against Washburn, Northwest Missouri and William Jewell, Harris recorded 24 kills while hitting .476 over the three match span.
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 16 matches since her debut. Over the course of the last 16 matches, she has recorded 63 kills including a season high nine against William Jewell. On the defensive side of the net, she has recorded 29 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 34 total sets this season. She is averaging just under one kill per set with 29 on the season with a hitting percentage of .100. 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 20 sets this season for the Hornets, with 14 coming over the last six matches. Xu has primarily rotated at setter and has 56 assists for an average of 2.80 per set. Against #15 Northwest Missouri, she also rotated briefly on the outside as she recorded a pair of kills on four attacks.
TOUGH TEST
With four games remaining on the schedule, and one coming against Central Missouri who is currently the top vote-getter outside of the top 25, Emporia State has played eight matches in conference play against teams ranked inside the top 25 in the latest coaches poll as the MIAA has four of the top 18 teams in the nation.
MIAA MAGNITUDE
In the latest AVCA Division II Coaches Poll, four MIAA teams are ranked in the top 25 with Nebraska-Kearney leading the way as the #8 team in the nation. As a conference, the MIAA held three of the eight spots in the Central Region during the postseason in 2021 while also having four MIAA teams make 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.
