August 28, 2026 – Emporia State volleyball split their two matches on Friday at the Ferris State Invitational, sweeping Illinois-Springfield before falling against tenth-ranked Ferris State.
ESU 3, UIS 0
The Hornets and Prairie Stars played close through the first half of set one, with Emporia State holding a narrow 12-11 advantage midway through. Emporia State then responded with a 10-4 scoring run to propel themselves to a 25-19 set one win.
Emporia State's momentum from the back half of set one carried over into the second frame, jumping out to an 8-1 lead, and continued to expand the advantage to 18-5, their biggest lead of the match. Illinois-Springfield then scored seven straight, trimming the lead to 18-12, but the Hornets answered back, scoring seven of the final eight points on their way to a 25-13 win in set two and a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Hornets again jumped out to a lead early in set three and eventually led 20-14 late in the set looking to complete the sweep. The Prairie Stars then put together a 10-3 scoring run, as they took the lead and were one point from claiming the set. However, Emporia State found their footing and fended off two set points to bounce back and take the frame 27-25, wrapping up the 3-0 win.
A LOOK AT THE STATS
Emporia State hit .213 in the match, including a match-high .286 in set two. The Hornets controlled the middle of the net in attack, as Mia Frisbie and Brooklynn Weaver had nine and eight kills respectively, while hitting a combined .739 in attack. Delainee Dexter also added nine kills of her own with 15 assists. Brailee Bogle had 19 assists in the match.
FSU 3, ESU 0
In set one, Emporia State scored the opening point, but the host Bulldogs quickly took the lead and held the advantage for much of the first frame. Ferris State led the Hornets 13-10 midway through the set, but the hosts closed on a 12-5 scoring run to take set one 25-15.
Emporia State held an early advantage in set two, leading 8-4 before four straight points by Ferris State brought the score level. Following one point for both sides, the Hornets scored five straight build a 14-9 lead, their largest of the evening. Ferris State then answered with seven of the next eight points, taking a 16-15 lead over the Hornets on their way to a 21-17 advantage. The Hornets made a late push, scoring four of the next five to close the gap to one, but were unable to rally further as Ferris State closed out set two 25-22.
In the third, the Hornets were unable to gain their footing early in the frame, falling behind 9-4 and then after a large Bulldog run, trailed 17-5 before the hosts closed out the set 25-13 to take the match 3-0.
A LOOK AT THE STATS
Emporia State struggled offensively, hitting just .074 while being unable to contain the Ferris State hitters as the hosts posted a .304 hitting percentage on the night. Lavra Krizanic reached double figures with ten kills and added eight digs, which tied with Piper Bahr for most on the team.
UP NEXT
Emporia State will wrap up their stay in Big Rapids, Mich. with a match against Purdue Northwest on Saturday, August 29 at 10:00 a.m.
