October 24, 2023 - Emporia State took tenth ranked Nebraska-Kearney to four sets behind an Emporia State rally-scoring record 33 kills by
Sandora Sasaki.
In the first set, the Hornets were unable gain much of a footing against the tenth-ranked Lopers. Nebraska-Kearney held an early 4-3 before scoring 11 consecutive points on their way to a 25-9 win over the Hornets in set one.
Emporia State flipped the script on Nebraska-Kearney in the second set. With the set tied just 1-1, four straight kills from
Sandora Sasaki and block by
Brailee Bogle and
Lillian Zeigler gave the Hornets a 6-1 advantage. The Hornets continued to improve upon their lead throughout the set as they evened the match with a 25-14 win in set two over the Lopers.
The 25-14 win in set two was highlighted by 10 kills from
Sandora Sasaki.
Set three was controlled by the Lopers early on as they held a 13-6 lead over the Hornets midway through the set. Emporia State responded with an 11-0 scoring run that gave Emporia State their largest lead of the set at 17-13. Nebraska-Kearney worked their way back to force a tie at 20-20 and 22-22 before ultimately scoring three of the final four points to take the set 25-23.
Following an early 3-1 start in set four for the Lopers, the Hornets scored four straight points behind three kills by Sasaki to take a 5-3 lead. The set continued with both teams trading blows, ultimately leading to another 22-22 deadlock late in the set. Nebraska-Kearney fought past Emporia State to clinch the second straight set 25-23 over Emporia State as the Hornets fell 3-1 against the #10 Lopers.
Sandora Sasaki recorded 33 kills in the four-set match, breaking her record set last week for most kills in Hornet volleyball history in the rally-scoring era. Sasaki hit .316 against the Lopers, which is more than double the hitting percentage allowed by the tenth ranked Lopers this season.
Tasiah Nunnery,
McKenya Sorrells and
Orianna Clements each recorded four kills of their own.
Braile Bogle recorded 37 assists and 13 digs while
Anakaren Chavez tallied a team-high 14 digs.
Emporia State will to action on Friday, October 27 as they continue their road trip against Missouri Western. The match is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. from St. Joseph, Mo.
NOTES:
Sandora Sasaki's 33 kills breaks the Emporia State Volleyball rally-scoring record that she previously set with 32 kills on October 17 against Fort Hays State.
Sasaki's 33 kills are the most in a four-set match in NCAA Division II this season.
Sasakis' 33 kills are tied for the most by an MIAA player since Barbara Jackson (Central Oklahoma) had 33 in a 3-1 loss to UCM on November 21, 2015 in the MIAA Tournament Championship match.
Sasaki's 33 kills are the second most in a match in NCAA Division II this season.
