Women's Volleyball | 9/4/2024 4:08:00 PM
Matches 1-4
Emporia State Hornets (0-0)
at (RV) Rockhurst Hawks (0-0)
Thursday, September 5, 2024 • 6:30 p.m. • Kansas City, Mo. • Mason-Halpin Field House
Series Record: ESU leads 13-9 •
Last Meeting: RU 3, ESU 1 (9/2/23)
vs. Sioux Falls Cougars (0-0)
Friday, September 6, 2024 • 1:00 p.m. • Liberty, Mo. • Mabee Center
Series Record: Series tied 1-1 •
Last Meeting: ESU 3, USF 1 (9/1/23)
at William Jewell Cardinals (0-0)
Friday, September 7, 2024 • 5:00 p.m. • Liberty, Mo. • Mabee Center
Series Record: WJC leads 6-3 •
Last Meeting: ESU 3, WJC 0 (9/1/23)
vs. (RV) Winona State Warriors (0-0)
Saturday, September 8, 2024 • 1:30 p.m. • Liberty, Mo. • Mabee Center
Series Record: WSU leads 3-2 •
Last Meeting: ESU 3, WSU 2 (9/14/13)
A LOOK AT THE HORNETS
Emporia State enters the 2024 season on the heels of year one in the Murczek era, which included a nine-win improvement overall and a six-win improvement in the MIAA, including a trip to the MIAA Tournament. The Hornets return seven players from last season, with all seven playing in 15 or more matches. Brailee Bogle (So./Wichita, KS) returns after playing in all 105 sets in her freshman season as she tallied 959 assists, ranking seventh in the MIAA. McKenya Sorrells (Sr./Pflugerville, TX) returns in the middle after playing in 98 sets last season and 159 sets over the last two years since transferring to Emporia State. Sorrells had 191 kills on .236 hitting with a team-high 76 blocks in 2023. Camilla Ossola (Jr./Gavirate, Italy) enters year two with the Hornets after recording over 100 kills, 100 digs and 50 blocks in year one. Set and then matched her career-high with nine kills in back-to-back matches against Fort Hays State and Missouri Southern last season. The four remaining returners include Zuzanna Buchnajzer, Lillian Zeigler, Caydence Doebele and Ainslee Stepp. Buchnajzer averaged 1.28 kills per set in 2023 and Zeigler hit .211 in the middle in her freshman season.
SCOUTING THE HAWKS
Rockhurst enters the 2024 season following a 2023 campaign where the Hawks went 22-8 and made a trip to the NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional. The Hawks are receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches Preseason Poll and return six of eight players that played over 100 sets in 2023. Sarah Pyle and Tera Reberry return to lead the Rockhurst attack as they averaged 2.93 and 2.79 kills per set respectively last season. Pyle also averaged over three digs per set in 2023 while returning libero averaged 5.78 digs per set last season.
SCOUTING THE COUGARS
Sioux Falls went 13-15 last season with a 9-9 record in the NSIC. The Cougars are looking to return to winning ways as last season was their first year below .500 since 2015. They return their top three attackers from last season, including Sadie Voss who hit .251 last season and led the Cougars with 363 kills with an average of 3.63 per set. Jordan Kuper and Courtney Holsteen each had over two kills per set last season and look to continue their influence on the outside. Voss, along with setter Elise Gellen, who had 879 assists last season, both had over 200 digs last season.
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
William Jewell is serving as the second host of the Kansas City Classic and is coming off a 12-17 season in 2023 are looking for their first winning season since 2011. The Cardinals return five of seven players that played in over 100 sets last season, including outside hitter Bella LaPorta who averaged 4.13 kills per set in 2023. Middle blocker Alex Dvorak also returns after recording 272 kills and 85 blocks last season.Setters Jesa Wallace and Samantha Thompson both return after combining to average 11.83 assists per set.
SCOUTING THE WARRIORS
Winona State went 18-10 last season and went 10-8 in the NSIC and enter the 2024 season receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches Preseason Poll. The Warriors return both Sidney Paulson and Gianna Vollrath who recorded 342 and 246 kills respectively to lead the way in 2023. Paulson was second on the team with 265 digs and Vollrath was second with 50 total blocks. Jaci Winchell returns at setter after averaging nearly nine assists per set with 932 on the season.
