August 27, 2026 - Emporia State took the first two sets and eventually took down Minnesota State in four to open the 2026 campaign at the Ferris State Invitational on Thursday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Emporia State and Minnesota State traded points early in set one, with the Hornets holding a narrow 9-8 advantage. The Hornets then rallied for four straight points to force a Maverick timeout at 13-8. Later in the frame, with the Hornets leading 17-12, three straight kills forcing the second timeout by Minnesota State with the score at 20-12. Emporia State closed out the first frame with a 25-15 win.
Set two opened with an early 3-0 Emporia State advantage, and after a pair of points by the Mavericks, the Hornets expanded their lead further to 9-3, which forced a timeout by Minnesota State. The Mavericks would trail by no less than five over the remainder of the set and trailed 15-10 before five straight points by the Hornets to double the lead to 20-10. The Hornets were able to close out the set 25-19 despite a late push by the Mavericks.
The Hornets again jumped out to an early lead in set three, going ahead 7-3 with both Emma Klett and Lavra Krizanic grabbing a pair of kills. Emporia State eventually held a 13-8 lead midway through the set before Minnesota State put together a 15-5 scoring run to close out the third frame 25-18.
In set four, the Hornets again jumped out to an early lead, this time an 8-3 advantage. After two points by the Mavericks, Emporia State put together a 10-3 scoring run to build an 18-8 advantage which included five kills by Lavra Krizanic. Minnesota State attempted to rally late in the set, closing the gap to 22-18, but the Hornets closed out the match with three straight points, sealing set four 25-18.
A LOOK AT THE STATS
Emporia State out hit Minnesota State .172 to .061, which included a .296 mark by the Hornets in the fourth set. Lavra Krizanic led the Hornets with 17 kills, with seven coming in the final frame, and she was joined in double-figures by Delainee Dexter who had ten of her own. Brooklynn Weaver had six blocks while Krizanic and Ryann Hamilton each had three in the match.
Brailee Bogle had 26 assists while Miyu Tsurumaki had 13 digs on defense. Krizanic also added 11 digs for a double-double.
UP NEXT
Emporia State will play a pair of matches on Friday, August 28 at the Ferris State Invitational, which the first coming against Illinois-Springfield at 8:00 a.m. before taking on the host #10 Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m.
