Women's Volleyball | 9/25/2025 4:15:00 PM
Matches 12-13
Emporia State Hornets (9-2)
vs #24 Missouri Western Griffons (8-3)
Friday, Sep. 26 • 6:00 p.m. • Emporia, Kan. • White Auditorium
Series History: MWSU leads 52-45 •
Last Meeting: MWSU 3, ESU 2 (10/31/24)
vs. Northwest Missouri Bearcats (6-3)
Saturday, Sep. 27 • 7:00 p.m. • Emporia, Kan. • White Auditorium
Series History: ESU leads 45-25 •
Last Meeting: ESU 3, NWMSU 2 (10/30/24)
The MIAA Network •
Live Stats •
Complete Notes in pdf
HOME SWEET HOME
Emporia State makes their home debut this season with matches against #24 Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri.
LAST TIME OUT
The Hornets traveled south for the MIAA-GAC Crossover, with two matches in Edmond and two more in Shawnee. On day one, Emporia State picked up sweeps over both East Central and SW Oklahoma State. Day two featured a tough test in the first match of the day, as they took on Oklahoma Baptist on the road. The Hornets managed to pull out the five-set win before capping the weekend with a 3-0 sweep of Southern Nazarene to complete the 4-0 weekend and extend their winning streak to nine matches. The nine-match streak is the longest winning streak for Hornet volleyball since the 2009 season.
MIAA GAUNTLET BEGINS
Following a 4-0 weekend at the Washburn Invitational, Emporia State travels south to the Sooner State for four matches against GAC opponents. The Hornets will play two matches in Edmond on Thursday, followed by two matches on Friday in Shawnee.
ABOUT THE COACHES
Ken Murczek is in his third season at Emporia State and has a 39-28 record through the first two years. Prior to Murczek's arrival in 2023, the Hornets last made a trip to the MIAA Tournament in 2018, and have made the trip in each of the first two seasons in his tenure.
Jessica Fey is 63-39 in her fourth season at Missouri Western.
Amy Woerth is 222-151 in her 14th season at Northwest Missouri.
ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State finished the nonconference slate going 9-2, including nine straight wins as they enter MIAA action this weekend. Following a 4-0 performance in Topeka two weeks ago, the Hornets went 4-0 last weekend in Oklahoma at the MIAA-GAC Crossover. Emporia State has five players averaging north of 1.90 kills per set, with Nyia Anderson leading the way with a 3.05 average. Delainee Dexter and Camilla Ossola have added 85 and 78 kills of their own on the outside. In the middle, Mia Frisbie and Brooklyn Weaver have made a massive impact. Frisbie is hitting .475 with 59 kills, and Weaver is hitting .288 with 46 kills. Both Frisbie and Weaver have eight solo blocks through the first 11 matches. At setter, Brailee Bogle and Delainee Dexter have combined to run the offense in the 6-2 formation, with 251 and 163 assists respectively, as the two have averaged a combined 10.36 assists per set.
SCOUTING THE GRIFFONS
Missouri Western enters conference play with an 8-3 record and a #24 ranking in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll released earlier this week. The Griffons hold a pair of ranked wins, beating both Angelo State and Concordia-St. Paul earlier this season. The attack for Missouri Western is led by a trio of upperclassmen in Taylor Russell, Emma Salker and Trista Marx who all average 2.41 kills per set or more. Similar to the Hornets, the Griffons roll out two setters with regularity, as Hayley Barsky and Katelyn Diani-O'Day combined for more than 11 assists per set. The trio of Russell, Salker and Marx also impact things defensively, with all three having at least 24 total blocks through the first 11 matches.
SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Northwest Missouri is 6-3 through the nonconference slate and is coming off a season where they went 16-12 and finished 9-7 in the MIAA alongside Emporia State in 2024. As a team, the Bearcats are allowing just a .131 opponent hitting percentage, while hitting .240 on their own. Kasidy Mohwinkle is leading the charge for the Bearcats in attack, hitting .337 and averaging 3.14 kills per set this season. At setter, Ella Caffery is third in the MIAA with 10.37 assists per set.
