Turnpike Tussle Begins Home Stand for Emporia State Volleyball

Women's Volleyball | 10/24/2024 1:03:00 PM

Match 20
Emporia State Hornets (14-5, 6-3 MIAA) vs Washburn Ichabods (15-4, 6-3 MIAA)
Saturday, Oct. 26 • 3:00 p.m. • Emporia, Kan. • White Auditorium
Series History: ESU 64-49 • Last Meeting: at WU 3, ESU 2 (10/8/24)

TURNPIKE TUSSLE ROUND 2
Emporia State plays host to Washburn this weekend for the second round of the Turnpike Tussle, beginning a crucial five-match home stand for the Hornets.

LAST TIME OUT
Emporia State went 2-0 last week getting wins over Central Missouri and Missouri Southern. For the Hornets, their five-set win over the Jennies was the first win for Emporia State over Central Missouri since 2014. Emporia State was then able to sweep the Lions on Saturday afternoon, which helped the Hornets surpass their win total from last season.

ABOUT THE COACHES
Ken Murczek is in his second season at Emporia State and has a 27-21 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. 
Chris Herron is in his 23rd season as the head coach at Washburn and holds a 618-136 record in his tenure with the Ichabods. 

ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 14-5 this season and currently 6-3 and fifth in the MIAA standings with seven matches remaining in the regular season. The Hornets rank top five in the MIAA in hitting percentage, kills, assists, opponent kills and service aces. The attack features four players with over 100 kills, including Rayishon Jackman and Weronika Wrzesinska who both have over 250 this season. In addition to Jackman and Wrzesinska who are averaging 3.89 and 3.61 kills per set, the top of two marks in the MIAA, Camilla Ossola has 142 kills and is averaging 2.90 kills per set. At setter, Brailee Bogle is averaging over ten assists per set and was joined by Sydney Fiatte in the rotation last weekend as the two averaged nearly ten per set in the wins over Central Missouri and Missouri Southern. On the defensive side, Mia Frisbie and McKenya Sorrells have anchored the middle, with 63 and 61 total blocks respectively, both top 12 marks in the conference. 

SCOUTING THE ICHABODS
Washburn is 15-4 this season and also 6-3 in the MIAA, as they currently sit in fourth, just ahead of Emporia State. The Ichabods are also listed seventh in RPI in the region according to Inkblot and are receiving votes in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll. Washburn's attack features five players with over 100 kills on a team that ranks third in the MIAA in hitting percentage. Jalyn Stevenson has a team-high 217 kills and is averaging 3.01 kills per set. In addition to Stevenson, Bella Limback and Alex Dvorak are hitting .409 and .363 respectively, bringing strong balance to the Ichabod attack.

LAST MEETING VS. THE ICHABODS
On Tuesday, October 8, the Hornets traveled up the Turnpike for the first round of the Turnpike Tussle this season. Emporia State took sets one and three but were only to clinch the match in four, as the Ichabods forced a decisive set five. With the Hornets leading 12-11 in the fifth set, Washburn mounted a 4-1 scoring run to clinch the set 15-13 and the match 3-2. Weronika Wrzesinska was the top attacker in the match, posting 27 kills on .281 hitting while Camilla Ossola had 18 kills on .441 hitting.

MIAA MADNESS
With seven conference matches remaining heading into this weekend, six teams in the MIAA are at least 6-3 through their first nine matches in conference play, including Washburn, Emporia State and Northwest Missouri who are slotted 4-5-6 in the conference standings. Of the seven matches remaining for the Hornets, five will take place against teams also in the top six, with four of those five matches happening at home.

CENTRAL REGION RECOGNITION
The central region, and primarily the MIAA and NSIC continue to be a steady presence within the AVCA Coaches Poll as three MIAA teams and six NSIC teams makeup the top 25 with Washburn receiving votes. A team from the region has appeared in the national title match three of the past six seasons and in the final four in four of the past six. The Hornets are currently 10th in RPI in the latest Inkblot regional rankings, with a match remaining against each of the five MIAA teams listed ahead of them.