September 15, 2023-Emporia State hit a season high .333 on the way toa 3-0 sweep of Fort Hays State to open MIAA play on Friday night in White Auditorium. It is the first win in an MIAA opener for the Hornets since 2017 and the first time they have won their MIAA opener at home since 2011.
The first set was a back and forth affair with 13 ties and five lead changes. Fort Hays State scored the first two points before Emporia State scored four of the next five to take their first lead at 4-3. The Hornets would score three straight to take the biggest lead of the set at 11-8 before the Tigers used a 4-1 run to tie the set at 12. Neither team would go ahead by more than two points the rest of the set. FHSU led 23-22 to force an ESU timeout. Out of the timeout
Sandora Sasaki got a kill to tied the score and McKenay Sorrells put the Hornets up 24-23. Sasaki delivered the set point with her seventh kill of the opening frame for the win.
Emporia State jumped out toa 4-0 lead in the second set and never trailed on the way to a 25-19 win. The Tigers were within 19-17 but the Hornets finished the set on a 6-2 run to go up 2-0 in the match. Sasaki had six kills in the second set while
Maureen Mathews and Sorrells each added four kills and combined on a block.
It was Fort Hays State turn to take the early lead in the third set as they scored the first four points. The Tigers led 6-3 when the Hornets went on a 5-0 run to take an 8-6 lead, forcing an FHSU timeout. A kill from Mathews gave Emporia State a 10-8 lead only to see Fort Hays State go on a 6-1 run as the Hornets called timeout trailing 14-11. ESU responded out of the timeout with a 9-2 run. Sasaki started the run with back to back kills and would serve the final four points of the run including an ace to give the Hornets a 21-16 lead. The teams would play even the rest of the set with
Winny Harris capping the 25-19 win with a kill for match point.
Sandora Sasaki led Emporia State with 16 kills on .282 hitting with two aces.
McKenya Sorrells and
Maureen Mathews had identical hitting lines of ten kills with one error on 16 swings for a .562 percentage.
Brailee Bogle had 36 assists in the three sets while
Tasiah Nunnery had ten digs.
Emporia State is back in action on Saturday when they play host to #7 Neb.-Kearney. First serve is set for 3:00 p.m. in White Auditorium.
NOTES
Sasaki has opened the season with nine straight double figure kill matches. It is the longest such streak by a Hornet since Arica Shepard reached double figure in the final 28 matches of the 2009 season. It is the longest streak to start a season since Shepard hit double figures in the first nine matches of the 2007 season.
With the win the Hornets improved to 7-2 on the season, their best start since opening the 2010 season 9-1.
