Emporia State Volleyball

Written by Cristy Flippin
Thursday, 27 September 2012 16:30
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Competing at home on Saturday at William Lindsey Auditorium, junior middle/offensive hitter Brianna Kaiser smashed the ball into Pitt State territory. It was the third victory in the Lady Hornets’ current four-game winning streak.
Will Austin/The Bulletin

The volleyball team had a successful weekend with two sweeps in two days, beating Central Oklahoma 3-0 on Friday and Pittsburg State University 3-0 on Saturday.

The Hornets opened the season at home against Central Oklahoma. The offense was led by Morgan Buckner, junior elementary education major and right side hitter, who hit had 12 kills.

“What we have worked so hard on in practice is finally paying off in our games, and it is a really great feeling,” Buckner said. “We came in with the right mindset, (and) we handled our business and got the job done with no hesitations, and the results were really positive.”

Junior outside hitter Paige Vanderpool recorded a double-double with 10 kills and 13 digs. Sophomore undecided major, right side hitter and setter Katie Deutschmann led in assists with 26 in total, and added two service aces.

“It was very exciting to finally play at home, and we had been looking forward to it for a long time,” Deutschmann said. “The home opener went really well and we were excited to get the win in front of our fans.”

The Hornets won the game in three matches – 25-18, 25-19 and 25-16.

On Saturday, the Hornets hosted Pittsburg State University. There were only five lead changes on the day, and the Hornets swept PSU 3-0. Deutschmann lead the Hornets on offense with 12 kills and contributed 22 assists as well.

“We went out and played very clean and consistent like we had been working on in practice,” Deutschmann said.

Meg Schwartz, senior biology major and defensive specialist, led the Hornets on defense with 15 digs.

“Overall it was a solid weekend. We came out strong in both games and got the job done in three sets,” Schwartz said. “Everyone is playing aggressive, and it is definitely paying off.”

The Hornets played solid on both offense and defense and controlled the tempo for the weekend. They only committed nine attack errors on the match. The PSU Gorillas fell to 8-6 and are 0-5 on the season. The Hornets improved to 8-4 and 2-1 in MIAA play.

The Hornets play at 6 p.m. Friday against the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The next home game is at 3 p.m. Oct. 20 against Northwest Missouri State University.

Volleyball now 9-4 after Tuesday victory

Written by Rocky Robinson
Thursday, 27 September 2012 16:30
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Sweeping their fourth straight match, the Emporia State volleyball team improved their record to 9-4 with a Victory over Newman University in Wichita Tuesday night.

Closing the first set with an 8-4 run, the Hornets had a 25-14 victory. Newman picked up their game the next two sets, but still fell, 25-20, to the Hornets.

Hitting .473 percent while holding the Newman to a .138 hitting percentage helped sophomore setter and right hitter Katie Deutschmann rack up a double-double with 12 kills and 21 assists, her second for the year.

Junior middle Brianna Kaiser helped with 10 kills and seven digs, and senior defensive specialist Meg Schwartz led the team in digs with nine. Freshman setter Sydney Hartman also assisted on 23 kills.

According to ESU’s website, this streak makes Head Coach Bing Xu’s record 182-67 in the eight years he has coached here.

Volleyball beats Ft. Hays Saturday

Written by Bulletin Staff
Thursday, 18 November 2010 16:15
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Seniors Ting Liu and Brianne Boner block a spike sent by FHSU’s Camille Hubert Saturday afternoon at White Auditorium. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

The Emporia State Volleyball team swept unranked Fort Hays State University Saturday to finish regular season play 28-26, 25-15 and 25-17.

“We finished off the regular season strong, ready for post season,” said Head Coach Bing Xu. “It was a good environment for the seniors with all the family being here. It is not easy after last night with the intensity level being so high, but you have to treat (all opponents) the same, every ball the same. After the first set, we realized we need to play our own game.”

The Hornets also honored seniors Brianne Boner, Katelyn Kaiser, Brittney Miller and Ting Liu on Saturday.

“It is hard to see them go, but they have to move on,” Xu said. “It will be a new team next year with the four of them gone.”

After a rough start, the Hornets won the first set. Working to overcome an early deficit, the Hornets eventually regrouped and won the set in extra points 28-26.

“Everyone had that emotional high last night (Friday). Today everyone was a little tired,” Boner said. “That took a toll on us, but we’re a good enough team to bring it back.”

The Hornets had to work a new offense with the loss of key hitter Brittney Miller to injury in their previous match against Washburn.

“We were still mentally adjusting (to the loss of Miller), it was a big blow,” Kaiser said. “We have to get team chemistry going and coming together as a team for the win.”

The second set started off with a much more unified Hornet offense which quickly gained a large lead. After the rough first set start, the Hornets were able to cruise to a second set win.

Continuing the rhythm started in the second set, the Hornets gained another large lead and finished off the match with another solid set win.

“We came out in the second and third sets and showed them,” Kaiser said. “It’s all about chemistry on the court… everyone has to work together.”

Finishing regular season play, the Hornets move onto regional play. Emporia State will face West Texas A&M at 5 p.m. on Nov. 18. The Hornets finished the regular season 22-9, and 13-7 in the MIAA.

“Everybody is beatable and everybody has a shot, we’re going to take ours,” Xu said. “It won’t be easy, but we’ll take it one game at a time.”

Chris Dvorak