Senior Alli Volkens works to get past a Northwestern Missouri defender Sunday during the MIAA Tournament in Kansas City. Courtesy Photo Matthew Hicks

The Emporia State Hornets found themselves playing for the MIAA Championship Sunday as well as an NCAA playoff birth. Despite 29 points and 18 rebounds from Alli Volkens, the Hornets never led in the contest and fell 79-63 to Northwest Missouri.

“We got off to a bad start,” said Head Coach Jory Collins. “We spent all game trying to recover from that. We were able to I think get within two there late. We just made too many mistakes.”

It was all Northwest Missouri early on in the first half. The Bearcats opened up a 10-0 lead on ESU before extending it to 13 points.

ESU scored seven straight points in a run that cut the lead to six points. The Bearcats answered with four of their own before Volkens hit a turnaround with three seconds left in the half to cut the deficit to eight points.

Volkens scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds in the half, but the Hornets struggled containing Kyla Roehrig who scored 14 points and had eight rebounds.

“She’s a good player,” Volkens said. “She’s big. She’s tough to displace. When she gets the ball that close to the basket, it’s very easy to score, so she was able to produce.”

The early minutes of the second half belonged to the Hornets. Volkens came out with tenacity scoring 11 of ESU’s first 14 points in the half, helping cut the Bearcat lead to just two with 12:58 remaining in the game.

“To get it down two, that was as close as it was when it was 0-2,” Volkens said. “Obviously at that point of the game we wanted to string together some stops. We just weren’t able to do it.”

Roehrig – who would go on to win the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament award – and the Bearcats proved too much for ESU down the stretch. After pushing the lead back to double digits with 7:56 remaining, the Hornets cut the lead to seven but would not get closer.

Afterwards, Collins noted the injuries earlier in the season that had an impact on the game.

“Obviously losing those three seniors early just really took all our depth away in the post,” Collins said. “Alli V’s obviously been a monster. But she could be even more effective if I could play her five less minutes a game.”

Both Kelsey Balcom and Volkens were named to the All-Tournament Team after the game.

Volkens finished the tournament with the MIAA Tournament record in rebounds with 47 beating the previous mark by 13. She ended her career as the 14^th leading scorer at ESU as well fourth in rebounds and second in blocks.

The Hornets were denied an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after the game officially ending their season.

“I’m proud of our young players,” Collins said. “They’ve hopefully grown a lot this year, they’ve learned a lot. I think they’re going to be pretty good for the next few years. As disappointed as I am that we’re done… I’m just as excited about what’s coming for us in the next few years.”

Brandon Schneeberger

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For the third time this season the Turnpike Tussle got underway between Emporia State and Washburn. But this time the victory belonged to ESU to break a season series tie and place the Hornets in the MIAA Championship game on Sunday. The Hornets got off to a good start before giving up the lead and heading into halftime down six. ESU rallied, however, and won the game 61-52.

“It feels good,” Head Coach Jory Collins said about beating Washburn. “It feels real good. Obviously they’re your rival, and it feels good to beat those guys more than it does any other team. And our girls enjoy that.”

The contest began the way ESU would have hoped thanks to 12 first half points from freshman Kelsey Balcom who led the team in scoring in the first half. The Hornets opened the game with an eight-point lead with 9:20 remaining in the half.

“I think we’re just executing our offense well,” Balcom said in reference to her 12 first half points. “We were setting good screens. I just happened to be open.”

Laura McMullin and Washburn responded with a 21-7 run to end the half up 32-26. McMullin led all scorers in the half with 13 total points, seven of them coming in the late run.

Alli Volkens (18 points, 10 rebounds) struggled shooting in the half but still managed to get eight points as well as grab eight rebounds and block three shots.

“I told Alli V after the game that her first half was probably as bad as she’s been on the season,” Collins said. “(The second half) stretch was probably as good as she’s been. Nothing changed what we were doing. I just think she made a conscience effort to dig a little deeper to make an impact in the game.”

Volkens made her impact in the second half despite getting into foul trouble at the 16:05 mark. After picking up her third foul, Volkens would return with ESU down two and 12:28 remaining. She would score six straight points in 1:27 to give the Hornets a six point lead, one in which they never let go of.

“I think our team did a really good job while I was out of keeping it in reach,” Volkens said. “It’s tough sitting on the bench, yes, but coming back in I was rested I guess.”

Washburn wasn’t quite done yet. The Lady Blues pulled to within three points with 4:49 remaining after Volkens picked up her fourth foul. However, the Lady Blues would not score for the rest of the game.

“(We) played a great second half defensively,” Collins said. “Obviously to hold them to 20 points is something we’re really proud of and excited about.”

The Hornets now look onward to Sunday’s game about Northwest Missouri, a game in which they must win to keep their season alive.

“They have a lot of good players,” Volkens said. “They’re really deep, and that’s something we’re lacking a little bit in the size. But I think if we come out, we execute our game plan we’ll be all right.”

Brandon Schneeberger

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Freshman Rheanna Egli takes a shot over the Central Missouri defense Friday night during the MIAA tournament in Kansas City. The Hornets won 74-69. Jon Coffey/ The Bulletin

Emporia State survived a late run and even extra minutes to advance past the first round of the MIAA tournament on Friday. The Jennies of Central Missouri fought back to cover a seven point deficit in the final 2:45 of regulation and push the game into overtime. However, the Hornets were too much for the Jennies in overtime as they game went to ESU 74-69.

“I’m sure it was more fun to watch than to coach,” said Head Coach Jory Collins. “Central’s a really talented team, and we knew that coming in. It’s tough to beat anybody three times in one season, and we expected a dog fight, and that’s exactly what it was.”

The game was controlled by ESU early on and for most of the contest. After UCM tied things up at six early on, the Hornets took control leading by as many as eight points.

UCM fought hard though claiming their first and what would be their only lead of the game. The end of the half belonged to ESU, however, as they ended it with a three point lead. Despite controlling the game, the Hornets struggled with turnovers.

“I think Central’s better than their record is and are capable of making a lot of plays with a lot of people, and they did that tonight,” Collins said. “I didn’t want Alli V to have seven turnovers in the double team. She’s been handling it great. She gets double and triple teamed every time she touches it. She didn’t do a good job of getting out of there as she has in the past.”

The game saw much of the same flow until UCM began to take over with less than three minutes to go. Missed free throws by the Hornets helped, and Nicole Caddell made a turnaround with 8.3 left. Rachel Hanf would miss her potential game winner.

“It wasn’t set up,” Hanf said “Rhea (Egli) just handed it off to me, and I got a really wide open look. I thought it was going in, but I got a good look so that’s all that matters.”

In overtime, the Hornets capitalized on their charity stripe opportunities, knocking down all eight of their tries.  UCM would have a chance down one with 17.6 remaining but would turn the ball over. Two Hornet free throws and a missed three pointer by UCM led to a Hornet victory.

“We had a mental lapse there the last two minutes (of regulation),” said Alli Volkens. “But I think we really responded in the first couple of minutes of overtime. Like Jory said we made some plays down the stretch.”

Volkens scored 26 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in the contest as Jocelyn Cummings added 17 points. After the win, the Hornets set their thoughts on defeating Washburn in the semifinals.

Brandon Schneeberger

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Kyla Roehrig of Northwest Missouri scored 26 points and grabbed 17 rebounds as she helped the Bearcats win the MIAA Tournament in a game in which they would never trail. Emporia State was down by 10 points early on and could only decrease the halftime deficit to eight points.

In the second half, the Hornets fought back thanks to Alli Volkens who scored 11 of ESU’s first 14 points of the second half. With 12:58 to go, ESU would climb to within two points of the Bearcats after a Volken’s and-one. Northwest Missouri’s size was too much for ESU down the stretch, and the Hornets would lose 79-63. Volkens finished her career as a Hornet with 29 points, 18 rebounds, three blocks and three steals.

Both Volkens and freshman Kelsey Balcom were named to the MIAA All-Tournament team after the conclusion of the game. Roehrig was named the most outstanding player of the tournament.

Brandon Schneeberger

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The Emporia State Hornets advanced past the first round of the MIAA tournament on Friday after a hard fought contest against the University of Central Missouri. Led by Alli Volkens with 26 points and 19 rebounds, the Hornets led for a better part of the game before Central Missouri made a late run.

With 2:45 on the clock, the Hornets were up by seven points and seemingly in control until a late surge by Central Missouri. The Jennies fought all the way back and finally tied the game with nine seconds remaining. A last second shot by Rachel Hanf would be missed, forcing overtime.

Unlike the final minutes of regulation, the Hornets made all eight of their free throw shots and forced a Central Missouri turnover with 17 seconds left and a one point lead. The Hornets made their free throws and put the game away 74-69.

ESU will play in the second round at 8:15 Saturday evening at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, MO against Washburn.

Brandon Schneeberger

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Freshman Rheanna Egli takes a layup past a Fort Hays State University defender Saturday night at White Auditorium. ESU won 54-42. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

The final home game of the season for Emporia State did not go as scripted offensively despite a 54-42 Hornet victory. The Tigers of Fort Hays State University were held to just 13 total field goals as the Hornets shot under 34 percent for the game. However, the Hornets rallied behind yet another double-double from senior forward Alli Volkens to cruise to the 12 point win.

“We played great defense tonight, and that’s what won us the ballgame,” Volkens said. “We weren’t hitting our threes tonight but we must be saving them for next weekend.”

Although the night ultimately belonged to Volkens, it was freshman Kelsey Balcom who came out and got the Hornets started. Balcom scored eight of her 16 points in the first six minutes of the game as she helped ESU jump out to an early 16-2 lead.

The Tigers responded however with an 11-0 run to cut the lead to just three points. Despite missing all twelve of their three point attempts in the half, the Hornets scored the last 11 in the half to lead the Tigers 27-13.

“I thought we did a good job in the first half – with the exception of that 11-0 run they made – of contesting every shot and just making it difficult for them to get open looks,” said Head Coach Jory Collins.

It was Fort Hays State who came out with the energy to start the second half as the cut the lead to just six points. The Hornets would eventually control the second half despite continuing to struggle shooting. ESU made just one three on the night out of their 17 attempts.

With 1:32 left in the game and the Hornets in control 51-38, Collins decided it was time to take Volkens out for the last time at White Auditorium to a standing ovation. Volkens ended the game with 19 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.

“She’s been a terrific player for our program,” Collins said. “She’s been a terrific representative of Emporia State women’s basketball for four years. She’s a great person, a great student and she’s obviously a terrific player as well.”

The Hornets were able to keep Fort Hays from penetration throughout the game holding them to just eight points in the paint.

“You have to credit the guards a lot for that,” Balcom said. “Because if they’re pressuring the ball like they were tonight, it’s tough to get into the paint.”

 The women are now officially in “win or go home” mode for the rest of the season entering next week’s MIAA tournament. The Hornets will begin post season play against Central Missouri at 8 p.m. Friday at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.

“Central first round is a tough one,” Volkens said. “They have a lot of seniors, so they’re going to play with a lot of heart. So we have to make sure we’re going to come out ready to play.”

Brandon Schneeberger

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Emporia State’s defense held with 6.1 remaining as round two of the Turnpike Tussle turned into a charity stripe scuffle

Senior Alli Volkens takes a layup against Washburn Wednesday night at Topeka. The Hornets won in overtime 61-59.

 before eventually going into overtime and ending in a 61-59 Hornet victory. With 6.1 seconds left to go and ESU up by one, the Hornets kept Washburn from attempting a shot to get the overtime victory.

            “It was awesome,” said Senior Forward Alli Volkens. “We needed to finish the season strong. To come in here and get a win was huge for us. Senior year, beat ‘em here. Can’t get any better.”

            The Hornets opened the first half with a two-headed attack as Volkens and Freshman Forward Kelsey Balcom combined for 24 of the Hornet’s 31 first half points. Volkens scored 15 of her 23 total points in the first half.

            The game saw momentum shift back and forth as early on it went to the Hornets who opened up with a 19-9 lead. The Lady Blues countered with a 10-0 run to tie the game before ESU responded themselves going on their own 10-0 run to reclaim a 10 point lead.

The half ended in Washburn’s favor after a 7-2 run ending in a buzzer beater by Washburn guard Alyssa Mullen cut the Hornet lead to five points.

“Any ESU-Washburn game is going to have a lot of runs,” said Sophomore Guard Jocelyn Cummings. “Washburn had their runs. We had ours. We ended up punching it out in the end.”

The Lady Blues carried their momentum from the first half into the second as they went on a 7-0 run to take their first lead of the game.

ESU fought back with an 11-0 run behind three pointers from Cummings and Balcom as well as and-one from freshman guard Rheanna Egli.

The game would come down to free throw shooting after Washburn cut the lead to single digits in the final minutes. With both teams in the double-bonus, it came down to two big free throws from Alli Volkens with 1:44 remaining to give ESU a 55-53 lead. After free throws from Washburn, ESU would hold the Lady Blues to a difficult last second shot attempt to force overtime. 

“We played great defense,” Volkens said. “We had a few mental lapses in which we’d foul the jump shooter, but I think down the stretch we really made them make some tough shots.”

Volkens finished what she had started in the first half as she scored four decisive points as well as grabbed a big rebound with 36.0 left in the game. With a 61-59 lead, the Hornets would run the clock down to six seconds after a shot clock violation. After a Washburn timeout, the Hornets defense didn’t allow the Lady Blues to get a shot off, securing the victory.

“Nothing about this team discourages me,” said Head Coach Jory Collins. “We’re young and inexperienced. I’m inexperienced. But we’re fighting hard together and I’m proud of them today.”

The Hornets – 17-8 overall and 14-7 in the MIAA – will look to continue their success at 5:30 p.m. Saturday as they take on Ft. Hays State in what is the final game at White Auditorium.

Brandon Schneeberger

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The Hornets blew by the Blue Tigers of Lincoln University this Saturday in what was a blowout from the start. After opening up with a 10-0 run, Emporia State never looked back and went on to win the game 84-44.

“We needed to come back, get some confidence back,” said senior forward Alli Volkens. “And I think tonight was a good night for us.”

The win snapped what was a three game losing streak for the Hornets. ESU came out with intensity in the first eight minutes, opening up a 16 point lead. After allowing Lincoln to get to within six, the Hornets refocused and closed out the half up 40-23 as they controlled the boards early.

“It’s always one of our goals before games just to crash the boards and get rebounds,” said freshman forward Kelsey Balcom. “We just go after it hard.”

ESU continued to dominate the game behind another double-double by Volkens who had 15 points and 16 rebounds and added two blocks. Volkens moved up to sixth place all-time in ESU history in rebounds with her effort. Also generating a double-double was Kelsey Balcom with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

The Blue Tigers fought hard considering they played just five players the entire evening as their roster had been whittled down to seven players throughout the course of the season.

“It’s obviously a tough situation for those guys,” said Head Coach Jory Collins. “It’s hard to have a chance when you only have five. They’re tough kids they’ll bounce back next year, and hopefully do some better things.”

Despite holding such a big lead, the Hornets continued to fight hard. Collins was proud of the effort his team put forth despite the possible distraction of becoming careless with a big lead.

“I thought we did a good job of maintaining some intensity,” Collins said. “It’s tough in a game like that where you’re up early. Especially with a young team who doesn’t really have a killer instinct it’s tough for them to sustain anything. For them to keep playing hard is something that I was stressing to them, and I thought they did a good job of.”

Other Hornets who ended up in double figures on the evening were sophomore guard Jocelyn Cummings with 12 points and six rebounds. Rheanna Egli as well helped out with her 13 points and team-high five assists.

After the win, the Hornets are now looking forward to Wednesday evening’s matchup against Washburn in what will be a rematch in the Turnpike Tussle. Washburn beat Emporia State 66-60 on Jan. 15 in White Auditorium.

“There’s nothing sweeter than beating Washburn, especially at Washburn,” Volkens said. “So hopefully we can go there and get a W.”

The next and final home game for the Hornets will be at 5 p.m. on Feb. 26 against Fort Hays State.

Brandon Schneeberger

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Sophomore Jocelyn Cummings is fouled on a layup by Pittsburg State’s Lauren Brown Wednesday night at White Auditorium. The Hornets lost 73-71. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

Facing off against Pittsburg State on Wednesday, the Emporia State women’s basketball team fought through a tumultuous game to end up losing in the last seconds, 73-71.

“We are really disappointed,” said sophomore guard Rachel Hanf. “They made nice shots and made a lot of their three-pointers.”

In the first half, the Hornets tied twice, held the lead once but began to fall further behind as their defense was unable keep PSU in check. In the first half alone the Hornets had 11 turnovers.

“Turnovers are killing us right now,” said freshman forward Kelsey Balcom. We’d get a steal and turn it right over.”

The Hornets got down by 11 at most and got as close as one behind, but could not secure a lead. Trailing at the half the Hornets came off a scoring run that brought them to only two points behind going into the second.

“I thought we were horrible in the first half, we couldn’t guard anyone,” said Head Coach Jory Collins. “To give up 44 in a half is not something you can do and still expect to win a game.”

Starting the second half the Hornets make a field goal to tie the game. Ali Volkens makes a field goal to take the lead and draws a foul to get another point. PSU gained the lead back almost immediately and then made it into a six-point lead on an 8-0 run.

“The focus was to get (the ball) in, and we did a good job of it,” Volkens said. “We just got into foul trouble.”

The Hornets were able to tie it up with 9:10 left in the half, then take the lead with a three-pointer making the score 61-58. PSU followed up with two more three-pointers, going for a 10-0 scoring drive to build a seven-point lead.

“We had some opportunities to maybe get a three, four, five point lead, but every time we got a three point lead or tie they got a big shot,” Collins said. “We just couldn’t get over the hump.”

With 2:11 left in the half the Hornets made a comeback to tie the game again at 68-68. Getting down to the last minute the lead changed twice and was tied with nine seconds to go. The Hornets foul trouble caught up with them when Collins made a bad play call while the score was tied allowing PSU to make two free throws with a second left to seal their victory.

“We made a good play to get it tied it up, but I cost us the game because I (told) my kid to foul, total screw up on my part,” Collins said. “We had other opportunities to take the lead and go ahead, but we didn’t get it done, and had the (mistake) in the last three seconds and put them at the line to win it.”

The Hornets’ record dropped to 15-8 overall and 12-7 in the MIAA. They play Lincoln this weekend at home.

Chris Dvorak

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The #20 ranked Emporia State women’s basketball team fell to the Bobcats of Southwest Baptist University on Tuesday after leading by 11 points at the halftime break. The Hornets held Southwest Baptist to just 23.1 percent shooting in the first half and 19 total points. However, the Bobcats jumped out of the gates in the second half and shot 68.2 percent from the field to score 56 second half points.

The lead was taken for good with 10:07 left as Southwest Baptist took a 42-41 lead. Emporia State made a push at the end, but it wasn’t enough as the Bobcats went on the win the game 75-67. Alli Volkens led the way with 20 points and 13 rebounds. The Hornets are now 15-6 overall and are next in action on Saturday as they travel to Central Missouri.

Brandon Schneeberger

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It took a little while, but the Emporia State Lady Hornets eventually pulled away from the Jennies of Central Missouri on Thursday evening in what was a makeup game due to the weather on Wednesday. Behind another Alli Volken’s double-double and four different players scoring in double figures, the Lady Hornets defeated the Jennies 76-61.

It was a rough early going for the Lady Hornets as they committed five turnovers in the first 5:18 of play in the first half. Not long after that, the Jennies would have their biggest lead of the game at the 14:02 mark as they lead 14-8.

“We knew that the first five minutes we had five turnovers, which is averaging one a minute and that’s a lot,” freshman guard Rheanna Egli said. “So the less we turn the ball over the more opportunities we get, so we figured that out.”

Emporia State created their on havoc by implementing the three-quarter court trap defense. This allowed the Lady Hornets to climb to a 24-22 lead with 7:34 left in the half. They would not give the lead back.

“We started out in a three-quarter court press,” Volkens said. “I think it set the tone early and let them know that we were ready to guard full time. I think it’s getting us some transition points. Kelsey Balcom’s very active in the front. She gets some tip balls, and that leads to some transition buckets.”

The Lady Hornets built off their nine point halftime lead to jump out to a 19 point second half lead, their highest of the game with 16:45 left in the contest. Good ball movement and a tremendous rebounding game for the Lady Hornets helped them hold off the Jennies for the 15 point victory.

“That’s what we stress is defense and rebounding,” Head Coach Jory Collins said. “We’ve always said that even if you can’t score, if you can rebound the ball and play good defense then you’re always going to be in the game down the stretch. Tonight I thought we guarded really well in the first half and kind of set the tone with that trap a little bit. It gets our kids a little more active and a little more into it.”

Volkens once again led Emporia State with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Egli helped out with 14 points of her own followed by Kelsey Balcom and Rachel Hanf who added 12 apiece.

On an evening when the Lady Hornets struggled with ball control in converting 19 turnovers, they helped themselves out on the boards out rebounding the Jennies 47-23. Collins noted the lack of physical play in the last couple of weeks.

“After we lost a couple of games… I decided we’ll just go back to getting physical in practice and going after each other,” Collins said. “I think it’s been a positive for us.”

The Lady Hornets improve to 14-5 on the season and 11-4 in the MIAA leaving them one game behind Northwest Missouri. ESU will travel to Nebraska-Omaha on Saturday before their Tuesday matchup at Southwest Baptist.

Brandon Schneeberger

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