Emporia State Volleyball Takes on Central Oklahoma in MIAA Quarterfinals

Women's Volleyball | 11/19/2024 4:00:00 PM

Match 27
Emporia State Hornets (17-9, 9-7 MIAA)
vs #9 Central Oklahoma Bronchos (27-2, 14-2)
Thursday, Nov. 21• 2:30 p.m. • St. Joseph, Mo. • Civic Arena
Series History: UCO leads 23-11• Last Meeting: at UCO 3, ESU 0 (11/16/24)

BACK AGAIN
Emporia State advances to the MIAA Tournament for the second time in as many seasons under Ken Murczek. The Hornets will take on Central Oklahoma in the first round, after closing out the regular season against the Bronchos in Edmond.

LAST TIME OUT
Emporia State went 1-1 last week, splitting their final road trip of the regular season against Arkansas-Fort Smith and #10 Central Oklahoma.

LAST MEETING VS. THE BRONCHOS
Last weekend, the Hornets closed out the regular season with a matchup against Central Oklahoma in Edmond. Emporia State fell in three sets to the tenth-ranked Bronchos, hitting just .045 while Central Oklahoma posted a .240 percentage. Weronika Wrzesinksa recorded a match-high 12 kills while hitting .345. For Wrzesinska, it was her 18th match with double-digit kills, and eighth in the last ten. 

ABOUT THE COACHES
Ken Murczek is in his second season at Emporia State and has a 30-25 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. 
Edgar Miraku is in his 12th season as the head coach at Central Oklahoma and holds a 296-92 record in his tenure with the Ichabods. 

ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State went 17-9 in the regular season and 9-7 in the MIAA, their first winning record in conference play since 2013. The Hornets rank in the top half of the MIAA in hitting percentage, kills, assists, opponent kills and service aces. The attack features four players with over 100 kills, including Weronika Wrzesinska and Rayishon Jackman who both have over 300 this season. In addition to Wrzesinska and Jackman who are averaging 3.63 and 3.23 kills pet set, both top six marks in the MIAA, Camilla Ossola has 235 kills and is hitting a team-high .253 on the year. At setter, Brailee Bogle has 990 assists on the season, averaging just under ten per set. In the middle, Mia Frisbie and McKenya Sorrells lead the way on defense, as they both have double-digit solo blocks this season.

SCOUTING THE BRONCHOS
Central Oklahoma is 27-2 this season and earned the third seed in the MIAA Tournament through this season's KPI rankings. The Bronchos are currently ranked ninth in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll and were fifth in the first central region rankings. As a team, Central Oklahoma ranks in the top two of the MIAA of multiple categories, including leading the way in hitting percentage,  The attack for the Bronchos features four players with over 200 kills and three averaging over three per set. Addison Wimmer leads the way, with 307 kills and an average of 3.45, which ranks third in the MIAA. At setter, Lindsey Houran leads the offense with 1,088 assists and averages 11.33 per set.

CENTRAL REGION RECOGNITION
In the second iteration of the Central Region rankings, Emporia State made the list as the tenth-ranked team in the region, and one of five MIAA teams in the top ten. In the latest AVCA Coaches Poll, the MIAA has three teams ranked in the top 25 with Missouri Western nearly ranked and receiving votes. In the region, seven teams are ranked inside the top 25, with two more teams receiving votes.