In light of last week’s column, I think it’s good to clarify the above statement. As of right now, the Emporia State women’s basketball team are simply not a top ten team. On Nov. 3 of last year, the Hornets were picked as the #6 team in the land. Perhaps, like some Division I schools, the ranking may have been preordained.

Let’s take a closer look at things.

The Hornets came off a season in which they won 30 games and won the national championship. They lost one of the greatest Hornets of all time Cassandra Boston plus the all-time leader in Emporia State history for wins and winning percentage as a coach for the Hornets in Brandon Schneider who now coaches at Division I Stephen F. Austin.

Furthermore, the Hornets were ranked so high with a full team. Since their national ranking, Emporia State has lost three major players to injuries including senior guard Brittany Miller, who was injured during the end of the volleyball season and has yet to play this season.

With the loss of a major leader from last year in Boston, an achieved head coach in Schneider and three players due to injury, it’s hard to expect a team to remain ranked so high.

This is not meant to bash the Hornets or imply they were overrated or are underachieving. On the contrary, it should be clear that the Hornets are playing exactly where one would expect to see such a young team. In contrast to the Hornet men – who it seem have nothing but seniors – the Hornets have only one senior playing significant minutes.

In fact, the Hornets’ top five scorers – who make up 80.2 percent of the team’s scoring – are made up of one senior, two sophomores and two freshmen. This puts a lot of pressure on the lone senior in the group, Alli Volkens, to be both a leader emotionally and mentally as well as physically.

The long and short of it is that this team relies on their underclassmen. Currently 66 percent of Emporia State’s offense comes from sophomores and freshmen. To add to this, underclassmen see the court 69.4 percent of the time for the Hornets. These stats alone should indicate a team in transition as opposed to a team that has arrived.

With a young team, however, comes hope. A young team will continue to grow and will thus be leaps and bounds ahead of where they were at the beginning of the year. A young team also gives hope for the future of program. A future that looks awful bright for the Hornets.

Brandon Schneeberger

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After a disappointing road series in which the #14 Emporia State

women’s basketball team lost two of three, the Hornets returned home to face-off against Truman State University. The Hornets were able to prevail 69-67 after a nine point deficit in the second.

“The last two games we’ve gotten out toughed and out physicalled… I thought (today) we fought back,” said Head Coach Jory Collins. “To come back from 10 behind with 15 minutes to go shows toughness.”

Both teams started off the game answering shot for shot. However, the Hornets controlled the momentum leading by as much as six points in the early going. After drawing a foul late, senior forward Alli Volkens connected on one of two free throws to tie the game at 36 entering the break.

“This was a must win for us. Ever since I’ve been here, we haven’t lost three in a row,” Volkens said. “We’re in a nine game season. The last nine games of the season will really determine what will happen to us.”

The second half began with the Hornets losing the lead as Truman capitalized off free throw opportunities. The Hornets called a time out after an 8-2 run by Truman that left them down by six.

“(Collins) gave us a stat the other day. From the 16 to the 13 minute mark in the second half, we’re being out-scored 60-13,” Volkens said. “We’re struggling to put together a solid 40 minute (game).”

The Hornets reversed their fortunes going on a 12-0 scoring drive after being down nine points to take the lead for the first time in the half which put Truman on a four minute scoring drought. Sophomore guard Rachel Hanf made four three-pointers in the game, two of them coming late in the second half.

“I was just taking shots when I was open,” Hanf said. “I didn’t shoot one time, and coach got mad at me… Coach just said (to the team) to get me the ball when I was open.”

With a minute to go, Truman tied the score at 65. Volkens drew a foul with two seconds to go, hitting both foul shots to win the game.

“I wanted to vomit. I missed a one-and-one, and this was my chance to make up for it,” Volkens said. “I have a little bit of a routine I go through, and I go through the routine… Free throws are about confidence.”

The Hornets broke a two-game losing streak increasing their standings to 13-5 overall and 10-4 in the MIAA.

“All your home games are must wins if you want any shot to be at the top of the (conference),” Collins said. “Most teams going down the stretch are going to be able to hold court at their home court, but we have to win some road games to be (conference) champions.”

Chris Dvorak

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The #14 Emporia State women’s basketball team suffered their second straight loss Wednesday against Missouri Western State University, 78-71. The Lady Hornets were in the lead after halftime and ran out to a 16 point second half lead until a 30-5 Missouri Western run put the Griffons in the lead for good. ESU shot only 20 percent in the second half.

Top players for the Hornets were Ali Volkens with her 14^th double-double of the season – 24 points, 16 rebounds –  which moves her into the top ten in ESU career rebounds and 21^st in career scoring. Rheanna Egli scored12 points and Jocelyn Cummings added 11 for the Lady Hornets. This is the Lady Hornets first two game losing streak since last February and drops their record to 12-5 overall and 9-4 in the MIAA. The Lady Hornets will face Truman at home on Sunday.

Chris Dvorak

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The #11 Emporia State women’s basketball team defeated unranked Fort Hays State Wednesday in a 67-57 victory. The Hornets had an early five point lead, which was whittled down and eventually taken away, leaving the score 32-29 at the half in favor of Fort Hays. The second half followed with more big runs by both teams, but the Hornets made big plays offensively and defensively to keep Fort Hays from running away with the game.

Alli Volkens lead the offense with a double-double scoring 24 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. Also scoring in double figures was Rachel Hanf with 14 points and Rheanna Egli with 11. The Hornets are now 12-3 on the season and 9-2 in the MIAA. ESU will travel to NW Missouri on Saturday as they look to continue their success.

Chris Dvorak

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Sophomore Rachel Hanf drives the lane against Washburn Saturday afternoon at White Auditorium. The Hornets lost to the Lady Blues 66-60. Kellen Jenkins/The Bulletin.

It lived up to the hype and more on Saturday as the Washburn Lady Blues came to White Auditorium in a game against the top two MIAA teams. Senior Forward Alli Volken’s layup with 36 seconds remaining in the game cut the deficit to two points but would not be enough as ESU lost the game 66-60.

“Most of the time, when they scored there down the stretch, we made mistakes that we weren’t making earlier in the game and gave them a couple of shots,” said Head Coach Jory Collins.

Kelsey Balcom jumped out of the gates in the first half scoring 11 of her 13 total points in the first 20 minutes of action. The Hornets were likewise able to control the half leading by four after a half court buzzer-beater by Haley Parker.

“Haley’s shot was huge,” Volkens said. “We knew going into the half that we just needed to continue doing what we were doing and hopefully come out with the win, but there was some… lapse there in the middle.”

After two quick fouls by Volkens, it was Washburn who controlled the pace in the second half leading by as many as nine points behind Cassie Lombardino’s 18 second-half points. Volkens battled hard against Lombardino with 18 points and 16 rebounds of her own.

“I got in foul trouble early on a few calls that were stupid on me,” Volkens said. “I shouldn’t have fouled in that position. It made it harder for me to contest shots, so (Lombardino) got a few easy ones.”

After being down nine points with less than 12 minutes to play, the Hornets decided to make a run of their own to take a three point lead after a Jocelyn Cummings three pointer with 6:08 remaining. Despite the run, Washburn didn’t fold, and key plays by Stevi Schultz and Lombardino kept the Hornets at bay.

“If you look at (Lombardino’s) numbers recently, she’s been playing great,” Collins said. “She’s been finishing at a high level. I’ll take nine of 24 though. If it takes 24 shots to get 20 points I’m fine with that.”

Down by four and with time running down, Volkens would come up big for ESU on a reverse layup with 36 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to two points. Lombardino answered with a traditional three-point play after the Hornets decided to play out the next possession instead of foul.

With less than 10 seconds remaining and down five, the Hornets were unable to come back.

“We also had a couple of mental lapses on defense – just things that we didn’t do on defense that gave them the momentum, so they finished with it,” Balcom said.

The Lady Blues now take soul possession of first place in the MIAA with a 9-1 record. The Hornets fall to 11-3 overall and 8-2 in league play.

The Hornets traveled to Fort Hays State last night. Their next game comes at Northwest Missouri on Saturday.

Brandon Schneeberger

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It wasn’t pretty, but it didn’t take long for senior forward Alli Volkens to assert herself in Wednesday night’s game against the Mavericks of Nebraska-Omaha. Volkens, who finished the game with 14 points, 18 rebounds and four blocks, helped the Hornets overcome a sloppy offensive performance.

“It was a win,” Volkens said. “I’m glad that we won, but I should have finished a lot of plays in there that I didn’t finish… I need to come stronger, just continue to work hard I guess.”

Each team struggled shooting from the floor in the first half as neither shot above 34 percent – the Mavericks shooting just 20 percent. Much like their last time out, the Hornets continued to turn the ball over with 10 in the half and 21 in the game.

“I told them afterwards that if we have that kind of defensive effort, we’ll win twenty games no matter what, if we play that way offensively, twenty’s all we’ll win,” said head coach Jory Collins. “The turnovers are really frustrating cause it’s not one person… It’s unacceptable and it’s frustrating.”

ESU began the game in control as they lead 16-6 early behind Volkens and freshman forward Kelsey Balcom who had a combined eight of the teams first 16. The Hornets would finish off the half on a 17-6 run to lead 37-22. Volkens added 10 rebounds and two blocks to her eight points in the opening period.

Volkens would get her double-double in the first minute of the second half. ESU controlled the score for most the half, but with 7:37 left senior center Negesti Taylor went down with what appeared to be a knee injury. The Mavericks closed the gap to just eight points with less than four minutes remaining.

Volkens and the Hornets answered with four consecutive points to push the lead to 12. A three pointer by Heather Pohl of Nebraska-Omaha with 1:41 left, however, kept the Mavericks alive. Clutch free throw shooting down the stretch allowed the Hornets to seal up the 66-54 victory.

Though the offensive effort was far from pretty, ESU can hang their hat on their defensive effort. They forced 14 turnovers and held Nebraska-Omaha to under 27 percent field goal percentage for the game.

“That’s one of my favorite stats is field goal percentage defense,” Collins said. “I was really happy with that. I thought we didn’t give up many uncontested shots. I thought all the shots they took we had a hand up in their face for the most part.”

They Hornets, now 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the MIAA, travel to play Central Missouri on the road for their next game on Dec. 11.

Brandon Schneeberger

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The #10 Emporia State Women’s Basketball team faced off against unranked Missouri Western State University Saturday and after a close first half came back and defeated MWSU 79-69.

“It’s huge for us (to have our first games at home),” said ESU head coach Jory Collins. “If we would have played Northwest (Missouri State) or Western on the road and played like tonight, we would be 0-2 (in the MIAA).”

The game started off with a fast pace, both sides scoring in the first minute. The Hornets took the lead and started an early point drive lead by Senior Forward AlliVolkens.

The Hornets lost the lead on a turnover, starting their turnover troubles. Small mistakes started costing the Hornets a number of points and kept the score close.

“We need to come out stronger. We need to win these games now because they’re only going to get tougher on the road,” Volkens said. “It helps being at home for the first three games being able to learn as we go.”

The Hornets got back in the lead with a three-pointer by Kelsey Newman. She followed it  with another three-pointer to keep the lead.

MWSU was at ten personal fouls early, which helped the Hornets who entered the half down 33-34. The Hornets struggled offensively with 14 turnovers in the half.

After halftime adjustments, the Hornets were able to take advantage of turnovers and rebounds and regain the lead.

“MWSU was running a court press trap that we weren’t used to,” Volkens said. We adjusted and we came back in the second half and regrouped.”

The Hornets went on the win the game by ten to improve their record to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the MIAA.

After the fiasco of turnovers in the first half the Hornets worked together and only had six turnovers in the second half.

“Fourteen turnovers in the first half is incredibly bad. Having six in the second half is really good for our team,” Collins said. “I wish we would have six a half, 12 a game. Twenty a game is too many.”

Also contributing to the win was Volkens making 11 of 13 at the free throw line.

“Free throws are 100 percent confidence,” Volkens said. “You just go up there and shoot a free-throw… you just get it in your head.”

The Hornets next opponent will be The University of Nebraska- Omaha at home on Wednesday.

Chris Dvorak

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Collins

What are your thoughts about the team after the first couple of games?

I like the level of intensity that our team has shown through the first couple of games. We are far from a finished product, but it’s nice to win games while trying to get better.

What adjustments have you had to make from being an assistant coach to a new head coach?

The preparation for practice or a game is much more detail oriented. It’s a much faster pace when you are the one trying to decide what to do for two and a half hours.

What do you think your team’s strengths are this early in the season?

So far we have been a balanced team. We have six juniors and seniors that know how to lead and win ball games, and they have played well early this year. Just as important though, we have been fortunate to have some of our underclassmen step as well. We have players that on any given day can step up and be leaders. This team really doesn’t have an ego or care who gets the attention as long as we are playing well.

Who are the main leaders of this year’s team?

Certainly Alli Volkens as she has been a big part of the program for a couple of years now. Ashley Ferrell is a leader by example rather than being a vocal leader. Rachel Hanf and Jocelyn Cummings have filled in nicely for some of the players that left last year. Each practice and game we might see a different leader.

What do you see as being a weakness for this team this year?

We don’t have a lot of game experience as a team. There are only two players with one full year of game experience. There is a certain feel for situations which you just can’t simulate in practice.

How do you and the team stay focused with such high expectations such as defending national champion and a #6 ranking in the polls?

This program has been good for awhile now, and we realize that we are going to get everyone’s best shot all season long. Our players understand they were recruited to win every night, and those expectations don’t bother them. They expect to do well all the time.

What are your expectations for the MIAA this season in women’s basketball? Who do you see being the major competitors this season?

It’s the toughest league in the country, no doubt. If we don’t play well, the bottom three teams of the conference are capable of beating us. Missouri Western, Washburn, and Southwest Missouri are always really tough, and I expect it will be those three plus us battling for a conference title.

Chris Hopkins

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The 2010 National Champions returned home to White Auditorium this Saturday in their home opener against the Golden Bears of Concordia St. Paul. The Hornets were able to control the paint and won the game 70-52.

“It was a tale of two halves,” said Head Coach Jory Collins. “I think the big tale was we missed a lot of layups in the first half. We had some gimmes that we normally are going to make, and that any college athlete ought to make that we just didn’t tonight.”

Emporia State was met with a challenge in the first half as Concordia St. Paul hung close throughout. The Hornets held the lead for the majority of the half until the Golden Bears tied the game at 18 with 6:32 remaining. Two layups by Freshman Guard Rheanna Egli sparked the Hornets as they closed the half on an 11-3 run.

Sophomore Guard Jocelyn Cummings led all scorers in the first half with eight points, three of them coming in the late first half run.

“I think definitely our defense really helped create us some offensive fast break points, just (getting the ball) down the floor to Rachel (Hanf) or just whoever getting us going, making some layups,” Cummings said.

The Hornets carried that late first half momentum into the second behind Senior Forward Alli Volkens and Cummings. The Hornets were able to push the lead to 20 at the 14:10 mark as Volkens added eight points in the run.

Emporia State continued to control the game as well as the paint as they went on to win easily 70-52. The Hornets outscored the Golden Bears 52 to 28 inside as well as outrebounding them 45 to 32.

“(Controlling the paint) was going to be our goal,” Collins said. “Concordia St. Paul lost I think three or four of their front court players, and they had some young ones playing tonight. For the most part, you control the paint with rebounding, shot blocking, and I thought we were really good in there.”

Erica Gress of Concordia St. Paul led all scorers in the game with 18 points and five rebounds.

For Emporia State, Jocelyn Cummings had 15 points along with seven rebounds, four of which were offensive. Volkens, Egli and Kelsey Balcom all ended the night scoring in double figures. Volkens led the team in rebounds with nine and added five blocks on the night.

Emporia State travels to Colorado Springs, Col. next week to play at the UCCS Invitational. Their first game will be at 2 p.m. Nov. 26.

Brandon Schneeberger

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The #6 Hornet Women’s basketball team started their regular season with a 68-64 win at Division I opponent Tulsa last Saturday. The defending national champions led for most of the game with help from senior center Alli Volkens who ended the game with 14 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks.

ESU jumped out to an early 16-9 lead on the road about halfway through the first half and would push their lead to as much as ten in the first half with a 34-24 advantage with two minutes left. ESU would take the lead into the half 36-29. However, Tulsa came roaring back to take their only lead of the game 53-51 with about eight minutes to play. ESU answered back with a Rheanna Egli layup and a Rachel Hanf three-pointer to take the lead for good. The Lady Hornets are back in action this Saturday for their home opener at White Auditorium against Concordia-St. Paul.  Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.

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Alli Volkens greets fans Tuesday night at White Auditorium. Volkens was named MVP of the NCAA Division 2 Women’s Elite Eight. Kellen Jenkins/The Bulletin.

With a trip to the National Championship game on the line and only 45 seconds on the clock, senior forward Alli Volkens knew what it would take to overcome the #1 team in the nation.

“I think it was just a matter of, ‘If we lose, we’re done,’” Volkens said.“We just put it all out on the court.”

The stakes were ultimately high.The ESU women’s basketball team was facing #1 Gannon, whose record was an impressive 37-0, in the Final Four.

Words turned into actions as Volkens, with the help of her teammates, scored the final four points in regulation.The pair of baskets tied the game, sending it to overtime.

The ball was in Emporia State’s court.Senior guard Lacy Corker knew that the team was in good hands on the low block.

“She’s so competitive,” Corker said.“She wanted it so bad.When it’s a big game like that, it was important for her to go out and do it and she did.”

The Hornets went on to defeat Gannon 97-94.Volkens scored an impressive 20 points off of 6-7 shooting from the field.ESU marched into the National Championship game and won that one too, with Volkens scoring 16 points, pulling down 15 rebounds while also adding five blocks.

Volkens, a native of Reinbeck, Iowa, put together a stellar six-game run in the postseason that earned her the NCAA Division II Elite Eight Most Valuable Player award and the utmost respect from her teammates.

“Alli’s a great player,” said Cassondra Boston, senior guard.“She definitely stepped it up for the whole NCAA Tournament.She’s capable of doing that.She’s half the reason why we won the whole thing because she just really stepped her game up and played hard and played her heart out.”

Corker shared Boston’s sentiment.

“Alli really stepped it up at the end of the season,” Corker said.“I told the press conference people that she showed it in her eyes, and I felt she wanted it so bad and it showed in her game…no one could really stop her.”

Throughout the early part of the season, Volkens had flown under the radar.A nagging injury was partly to blame for her less-than-spectacular performance early on.

“Earlier in the season I was still kind of hurting a little bit from my knee surgery,” Volkens said.“It took me awhile to get over that.With the adrenaline rush of the postseason tournament, it (the pain) kind of went away a little bit.”

The expectations have always been high for the 6’2” junior.

“Coming in as a freshman I was kind of expected to do a little bit, then each year just build upon that,” Volkens said.

She has done just that.Coming off of a freshman campaign where she averaged 5.8 points per game in spot minutes, Volkens averaged 7.5 points per game in her sophomore season.In continuation of incline, Volkens nearly doubled her average this season with just over 12 points per game.

A mere five days after winning the National Championship, Volkens has her eyes on the prize again for next year.While the team loses four seniors who played a critical part in the championship run, Volkens is still confident that the Hornets can repeat.

“I think a lot of our younger players are going to step up next year and have just as much success regardless of how many players we lose each and every year,” Volkens said.“My freshman year we lost (Michelle) Stueve, last year we lost Ida (Edwards), this year we lose (Cassondra) Boston, so I don’t see why not.”

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