September 10, 2022 - Emporia State claimed their first MIAA victory of the season as they climbed back from a two set deficit to defeat Fort Hays State on Saturday afternoon from White Auditorium.
The first set started with Fort Hays State opening a 6-2 advantage over Emporia State. The Hornets worked to close the gap, as they were able to trim the deficit down to just two points with the Tigers leading 12-10. Fort Hays State would regain the momentum as they went on the win the first set 25-18.
In the second set, Emporia State struggled to gain their footing as the Tigers would score ten straight points after the Hornets claimed the first point of the set. The Hornets were unable to make up the ground that was given up early in the set as the Tigers powered ahead to win 25-16 in the second set and take a 2-0 lead over Emporia State in the match.
Emporia State competed well early in the third set, with a 12-6 lead over the Tigers halfway through the set. Fort Hays State responded by scoring seven of the next eight points to tie the set and continued to take a 21-18 lead over the Hornets. Following an Emporia State timeout, the Hornets rallied to score seven consecutive points to win the third set 25-21 over the Tigers.
The momentum carried over for Emporia State as they traded points early against Fort Hays State before the Hornets opened a 13-7 lead and continued to extend their lead in the fourth set and eventually tie up the match with a 25-15 victory in the set.
In the final set, Emporia State scored the first seven points in large part due to a trio of service aces from
Leah Mach. Fort Hays State slowly climbed back into the set and the Tigers were able to reclaim the lead 13-12 over the Hornets.
Leah Mach responded with a kill before a pair of Tiger attack errors gave Emporia State the 15-13 victory in the final set and the 3-2 win in the match.
Emporia State was led by
Leah Mach in attack who tied her career-high with 18 kills on a .467 hitting percentage.
Zuzanna Buchnajzer also reached double-digits with 10 in the match.
Ainslee Stepp recorded 22 assists while
Riley Bernskoetter added 21 of her own. In defense,
Megan Stretton had 29 digs and
Shelby Ebert had 22 on the afternoon. Ebert also recorded four service aces for the Hornets.
The Hornets will be back in White Auditorium on Tuesday, September 13 as they will take on Washburn in the Turnpike Tussle. The match is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m.
