October 16, 2026 - Emporia State volleyball controlled the first two sets and rallied in set three on their way to a sweep over Northwest Missouri on Friday night.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Northwest Missouri owned the first five points of the opening set, as they jumped ahead of the Hornets 4-1. However, Emporia State quickly flipped the script as they put together seven straight points to take an 8-4 lead, forcing a Bearcat timeout. The Hornets rode their momentum for the remainder of the set on their way to taking set one 25-13.
In the second set, Emporia State was the side to score four of the first five points. The Bearcats scored the next two points, but were unable to pull level with the Hornets as ESU continued to lead throughout the set on their way to a 25-16 set two win to take a 2-0 lead on the night.
The hosts controlled most of set three, as they built their largest lead of the night with an 11-4 advantage. Emporia State slowly worked their way back into the match, scoring nine of the next 12 to trim the deficit to 14-13. The Hornets eventually took their first lead of set three at 20-19, which forced the Bearcats to take a timeout. After pushing ahead 23-21 and forcing yet another timeout, the Bearcats attempted to rally with two straight to tie the set at 23-23. Following a Hornet timeout, a combo block from Ryann Hamilton and Maja Kiosk brought up match point and Brooklynn Weaver capped it off with a kill to seal the sweep.
A LOOK AT THE STATS
Lavra Krizanic led the Hornets with ten kills on .429 hitting while the Hornets hit .298 as a team. Brailee Bogle had 31 assists and Ryann Hamilton had 11 total blocks.
UP NEXT
#18 Emporia State will take on #5 Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday, October 17 in Maryville, Mo. First serve between the Hornets and Lopers is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
