Women's Volleyball | 10/2/2024 11:32:00 AM
Matches 13-14
Emporia State Hornets (9-3, 1-1 MIAAA)
vs. Pittsburg State Gorillas (6-6, 1-1 MIAA)
Friday, October 4 • 6:00 PM • Emporia, KS • White Auditorium
Series History: ESU leads 75-31 •
Last Meeting: ESU 3, PSU 1 (11/3/23)
vs. Newman Jets (3-13, 0-2 MIAA)
Saturday, October 5 • 7:00 PM • Emporia, KS • White Auditorium
Series History: ESU leads 11-4 •
Last Meeting: ESU 3, NU 1 (10/28/23)
HOME SWEET HOME
Emporia State makes their home debut this season with matches against Pittsburg State and Newman on homecoming weekend.
LAST TIME OUT
The Hornets opened MIAA play with road matches against Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri. Emporia State fell in three sets against the Griffons on Friday before bouncing back with a four-set win over the Bearcats on Saturday night. The win against Northwest Missouri featured a fourth set where the Hornets held off three match points before clinching the set 27-25. Rayishon Jackman led the Hornet attack with 23 kills in the match while Weronika Wrzesinska and Camilla Ossola both reached double-digits.
MIAA MADNESS
As conference play has started, the MIAA has two teams ranked in the top 15 in the nation with three more teams receiving votes in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll. The Hornets made the MIAA tournament last season for the first time since 2018, but were picked ninth in the MIAA Preseason Poll, as all eight times slated in the top eight finished the 2023 season with a winning record.
ABOUT THE COACHES
Ken Murczek is in his second season at Emporia State and has a 22-19 record. In his first season at the helm, the Hornets improved their overall win total by nine games and conference win total by six games as they made a trip to the MIAA Tournament. He is 2-0 against the Gorillas and 2-0 against the Jets.
Jen Gomez is in her ninth season at Pittsburg State and has a 98-140 record with the Gorillas. She is 7-7 against the Hornets.
Marisa Compton is in her third season at Newman and has a 11-63 record with the Jets. She is 2-2 against the Hornets.
ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 9-3 through their first 12 matches with a split through the first week of MIAA action. The 9-3 start for the Hornets is the best start since the 2010 season. Rayishon Jackman has featured in the Hornet attack through the first 12 matches with 195 total kills and an average of 4.53 kills per set which ranks eighth in the nation. Weronika Wrzesinska also has over 100 kills, with 128 this season and a 2.98 average. Zuzanna Buchnajzer and Camilla Ossola are also both averaging over 2.5 kills per set this season and Ossola is hitting a team-high .293. Brailee Bogle has been coordinating the Hornet attack and has 477 assists, an average of 11.09 per set. On the defensive side, three Hornets have totaled 30 or more total blocks this season, with Mia Frisbie leading the way with 42 so far this season.
SCOUTING THE GORILLAS
Pittsburg State is 6-6 this season and 1-1 in the MIAA this season and is one of the ten teams in the MIAA this season with an overall record of .500 or better. The Gorillas are led offensively by a trio of hitters averaging over two kills per set with Vix Vilott leading the way with 115 total kills and a 2.80 average. Ivy Fink and Anna Dean have 91 and 85 kills on the season respectively. Jessa Wallace and Rylee Martin have combined to average 13.84 assist per set at the setter position this season. Dean is also pivotal on defense, as she leads the Gorillas with 41 total blocks on the season, averaging exactly one per set.
SCOUTING THE JETS
Newman enters the weekend 3-13 on the season and 0-2 in the MIAA after dropping their first two conference matches last week. The Jets are led offensively by Ozioma Ajekwu with 160 kills this season which ranks top five in total kills in the MIAA. In addition to Ojekwu, McKenna Rhodes has over 100 kills this season. At setter, Avery Dempsey has 283 assists while Madalyn Hoot has over 100 of her own. On defense, Natalie Trigo has 256 digs this season for an average of 4.49 per set.
