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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La’Darrian Page try’s to outrun the Pittsburg State defense Saturday afternoon as the Hornets faced off against the Gorillas at Pittsburg. ESu was over taken with a final of 14-44. Kellen Jenkins/The Bulletin

On the afternoon of Pittsburg State University’s 1000^th football game, the Emporia State Hornets went down to the MIAA and state of Kansas foe Gorillas, 44-14.            Pitt State set several school records on the day, including most receiving yards in one game (Kendall Fisher – 238) and most passing yards in one game (412). The game marked ESU’s sixth straight loss on the year, having only beaten non-conference opponent Southwestern Oklahoma State.

The game started off well for the Hornets as they kicked off to Pitt State, which was followed by a big hit by senior linebacker and business major Blake Ringwall. Although the team was in high spirits, the momentum didn’t carry over. Large gains eroded the Hornets defense early as the Gorillas jumped to a 17-0 lead after one quarter of play.

“They hurt us with big plays,” said Head Coach Garrin Higgins. “We would hold them on first and second down and still had problems on third down giving up the big plays – we just can’t do that. You can look at everything, but that’s the bottom line – if you can’t get off the field on third down, and we can’t get momentum offensively and keep the chains moving, then we’re going to have problems.”

The start of the second quarter proved to be fruitful for the Hornets. A pass from freshman quarterback and business major Tyler Eckenrode traveled 33 yards and hit freshman wide receiver and undecided major Shjuan Richardson inside the Pitt State 10-yard line. The possession was capped off by a 1-yard touchdown run by junior running back and business major Kevin Smart.

The run game and passing game were in sync on the drive, noted Eckenrode – something other possessions lacked.

“For our offense to work, we need more balance,” Eckenrode said.

The jubilation received by Smart’s touchdown was short lived.

Four punts would come in the following four possessions, while Pittsburg State scored twice more, both on accurately thrown touchdown passes from Gorilla quarterback John McCoy.  Junior defensive lineman and recreation major Harold Ayodele recovered a McCoy fumble late in the second quarter, but to no avail – the drive resulted in the end of the half, with Pitt State leading, 30-7.

Spirits were down for the overmatched Hornets.

“We let it just slip away from us in the first half,” Higgins said.

The second half proved to be just as futile for ESU. Mistakes topped with poor execution on third and fourth downs decided the fate of the already struggling Hornets. A roughing the kicker penalty on ESU’s first possession of the second half was short lived, as a pass from Eckenrode hit freshman tight end Adam Schiltz in the hands and was dropped.

“Schiltz is a great player…he just didn’t have a good day,” Eckenrode said. “People just don’t have good days sometimes, but he’s a great player, and he’ll be a great player next week.”

On the following defensive stand for the Hornets, a pass was intercepted by junior linebacker and athletic training major Nathan Linsey. The Hornets couldn’t capitalize on the turnover – the following drive resulted in a turnover on downs due to an incomplete pass in the endzone on fourth down. On the bright side, the Hornets escaped the third quarter while only giving up one touchdown. Pitt State led the game heading into the fourth quarter, 37-7

The fourth quarter went by in a blur, as the Gorillas used their powerful, yet underused running attack to thwart off the Hornets and run down the clock. Pittsburg State would score once more, this time on the legs of backup quarterback Jeff Smith on a 15-yard scramble. For ESU, a lone second half score came in the form of a touchdown run by sophomore running back and business major Adrian Abner.

The tale of the tape served as a reminder of the dominance shown by the Pitt State Gorillas, as they gained over 630 yards of offense, next to ESU’s mark of 269. Page noted that time and rhythm are factors that contribute to the Hornets’ recent blunders.

“I think right now we’re still trying to find our rhythm,” Page said. “We’re still trying to get rolling on offense – we still have some pieces to put to the puzzle to move the ball. We just need to get rolling….We just really need to get in a rhythm and make plays and keep the defense off the field. We have to help them (the defense) help us.”

Even though the emotional turmoil was present due to the loss, Higgins found a way to stay somewhat upbeat.

“Let’s look at the positive – we made two extra points today,” Higgins said.

Shane Wilson/The Bulletin

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Junior Guard Sophia Lenard works around a Pittsburg State opponent Wednesday night at White Auditorium. ESU won the game 85-70./PHOTO BY KELLEN JENKINS

The Emporia State women’s basketball team continued their dominance in the MIAA Wednesday night at home with a strong offensive performance, beating Pittsburg State 85-70.

The Hornets entered Wednesday’s match up in first place in the MIAA with an overall record of 21-3 and 16-2 in conference play. Senior forward Ida Edwards has averaged 14.4 points per game this season.

The Gorillas entered the competition with a 17-6 overall record and 12-4 in conference play. PSU is led by junior forward Nicole McCombs, who averaged 16.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game this season.

The Hornets lead the series overall, winning 46 and loosing 18 as well as winning 22 out of the last 25 games against the Gorillas.

The Hornets were lead by Edwards, who made 16 points and nine rebounds on the night while completing seven out of 12 her shots on the night.

While junior forward Candice Gilbert led the Gorillas in scoring with 20 points, 12 rebounds and one assist on the night.

The Gorillas took an early lead of 16-10 in the first half until the Hornets bounced back from two consecutive personal fouls on junior guard Lenard and made it a 23-21 ball game with 10 minutes left in the first half.

“Defensively I thought we played on our heels to start the game,” said Head Coach Brandon Schneider. “We had a couple key players commit fouls and we did not want Sophie to have two that early and I think that affected the flow of the game for us. But when we started to play a little more aggressive defensively and playing on our feet better I thought that ignited better offensive play.

The first half ended when Ida Edwards made a two point jumper, which put the Hornets on top 44-34. The Hornets shot at 60 percent in the first half while the Gorillas made 12 out of 31 basket attempts.

The Gorillas struggled on defense, allowing Sophia Lenard to sink a three pointer early in the second. Soon after, Gorillas’ head coach was issued a technical foul that lead into two foul shots made by Edwards, ESU took a 53-41 lead.

“I came into the game with foul trouble,” Lenard said. “When I came in the game in the second half I tried to do what I had to do to help out the team.”

Late in the second half, the Hornets let off on defense and allowed the Gorillas to cut their deficit to 10 points.

“I think we just relaxed a little bit,” Edwards said. ”We had a little run for a few minutes and then relaxed giving up our transition defense and I think that is what gave Pittsburg some threes off of transition giving them some momentum.”

The Hornets are now 22-3 overall and 17-2 in the conference with two games lefts in the season until the MIAA tournament.

If the Hornets defeat Washburn, ESU will be the first seed in the MIAA tournament.

Cristian Echeverria/The Bulletin

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