The Emporia State volleyball hosted inter-league and in-state rival Pittsburg State last night, only to lose the match in four sets, 3-1. The loss marked the Hornets’ fourth of the season and third in the MIAA.

The first quarter started out with a 4-0 lead by the Hornets. However, a rare lack of decisiveness by ESU let the Gorillas right back in to the set. The score was 13-9 before the first pause in game play occurred – timeout was called by Pittsburg State head coach Ibraheem Suberu. Another timeout was called by Pitt State after the Hornets defensive prowess proved to be too overwhelming for the Gorillas at the time, as the Hornets led 23-18.

The timeout would rejuvenate the Gorillas for the time being, as Pitt State would make a solid comeback which forced Emporia State head coach Bing Xu feeling uneasy – a timeout was called by Xu with the Hornets still leading, 24-22. The Hornets’ mistakes were capitalized on by Pitt State after the timeout, giving the Gorillas the lead at 25-24, which forced another ESU timeout.

After the timeout, a kill by freshman right side hitter and undecided major Katelyn Schmidtberger gave the Hornets a one point lead, but two defensive mistakes by the Hornets sealed the deal for the Gorillas, giving them the set, 27-25.

The Hornets have been often criticized for not closing out sets when they are capable. Xu said that not finishing, along with the Gorillas’ determination, played a part in the loss of the first set.

“They played a great game…they wanted it more, you can tell,” Xu said. “Especially in the first game, that was kind of a key turning point. We were leading big, but we couldn’t finish.”

Senior libero and health promotion major Amy Byfield agreed with Xu and said that it could be a cause for concern for the team.

“I think we just got off to a slow start,” Xu said. “It seems like every match we play we learn at some point during one of the sets that you can’t start off slow, especially against a team that’s trying to make it to regionals. You just can’t do that at this level.

I think every team we play, it (not finishing) is a legitimate concern because of our track record…it’s a concern, something we focus on in practice, just playing strong the whole time.”

A glimmer of hope came in the second set for the Hornets, as points were traded back and forth between the two teams to start –  it was only when the score reached 11-9 in favor of Pittsburg State that the first break in the set occurred via an Emporia State timeout.

The Gorillas were forced to call a timeout after big momentum plays in favor of Emporia State led to the Hornets widening their lead, 22-18. A kill by freshman middle hitter and undecided major Caitlyn Murray ended the set, with the Hornets taking the game

The third set was an uneventful one. Points were traded back and forth throughout the game until Xu called timeout when Pittsburg State increased their lead to two points at 20-18. Xu called another timeout to regroup his team at 22-24 in favor of PSU. The Hornets never looked shakier on set point for the Gorillas, as two teammates attempted a hit on each of the three attempts. A defensive breakdown caused the set to end 25-22 with Pitt State taking the game.

It appeared as though the Hornets were unraveling at the seams.

“We just always need to come out strong every time,” Murray said. “Sometimes we underestimate people, and then we get down and we’re like ‘Oh my gosh, what do we do?’ So then we kind of freak out and things fall apart.”

Set number four started off sloppy for the Hornets – mental errors led to a 6-3 Pittsburg State lead early. Solid offensive output put the Gorillas up by as much as five, but the determination of the Hornets would shine through, bringing the game to a tie at 14-14. However, the Hornets’ momentum would only last for a short time as PSU widened the gap at 20-16 before an ESU timeout.

The timeout would not give Emporia State the extra boost they need, as PSU won the set 25-22.

Although the loss comes at an important time for the Hornets in regards to MIAA standings, Xu is ready to move on to the next opponent.

“We need to move on,” Xu said. “One game at a time, just keep playing.”

Junior right side hitter and nursing major Brittney Miller led the Hornets in kills on the night with a career-high 25, followed by senior outside hitter and marketing major Arica Shepard with 15. Shepard also contributed 24 digs. Junior setter and business major Ting Liu added 58 assists, 13 digs and seven kills. Byfield’s 21 digs on the night made her the new ESU career leader in digs with 1,944.

The Hornets will host Missouri Southern for Senior Night at 7 p.m. tonight at W.L. White Auditorium.

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The Emporia State volleyball team faced off against MIAA opponent Truman State University last Wednesday night, only to lose the match in four sets, 1-3.

The Hornets started off on a roll early in each of the first two sets, but couldn’t finish what they started as they saw Truman capture two early wins.

“We just got down and we beat ourselves in the first two games,” said freshman middle hitter and undecided major Caitlyn Murray. “We weren’t ready – we thought we were, but we just didn’t come out ready. The second two games we finally figured it out, but we decided to fight back a little too late.”

Truman State proved why they’re a Top 20 team in the AVCA polls, showcasing their stellar defensive abilities and consistent offensive output throughout the match against the Hornets. Senior outside hitter and marketing major Arica Shepard said that the team knew about Truman’s capabilities coming into the match.

“They’re always a consistent team,” Shepard said. “We know that coming in that we can’t let them in at all. They’re going to bring what they have every single time. They never let go. When they come in, we just have to act like they’re the number one team in the nation and play like that.”

Head coach Bing Xu felt that his team was prepared for the match, but thought that perhaps mental hindrances were the cause of the Hornets’ breakdowns.

“We know their style, they play very strong defense…they tested our composure,” Xu said. “From our side, I think some of our players expect too much out of themselves… they think, ‘Hey, they can’t block me, they can’t beat me.’ Every team can block, every team can dig.”

After Xu reached deep into his bench and substituted players that had yet to see much action, the Hornets picked up their play a bit for the third game, as they won 25-21. Several younger players stepped up big for the Hornets, aiding in the team’s blocking defense as well as kills. Murray saw her playing time increase significantly during the last two sets.

“It (playing more) was really exciting, and I was on, so that was even more exciting,” Murray said. “The whole team just started to fit more together. It was just a little too late in the game.”

Shepard was happy to see the younger players positively contribute to the team’s comeback effort.

“They came out there and they played with really great intensity, and they brought a lot of emotion out on the court, which is what we needed right then,” Shepard said. “It helped out tremendously. I just wish we could have pulled it through.”

After winning a decisive third set, the Hornets rally fell short in the fourth and final set, with Truman taking the last game, 25-23.

The match, according Murray, will hopefully serve as a reminder of how important the little things are in preparing for tough opponents like Truman.

“This just kind of wakes us up a little bit and tells us that we need to come out ready and be mentally prepared,” Murray said. “We can’t underestimate anybody, so just have to come out and be ready and concentrate.”

Shepard believes that the team has to move forward and use the experience as a learning tool.

“We just have to use it (the loss),” Shepard said. “We have to use it like all of our losses before – we have to take this to the next game and know what not to do again. I don’t know if we just need to keep the intensity up at the very beginning – usually we’re pretty strong – but this game we just let it go.”

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