Emporia state built momentum in the middle of the match but couldn’t sustain it in a five-set defeat to Northwest Missouri 25-20, 21-25, 19-25, 25-18, 15-11 at White Auditorium on Friday night. The Lady Hornets built an early 9-4 lead after scoring five-straight points and led by as many as six in the first set, but the Bearcats ended the first set on a 17-6 run including a 9-2 run to end the frame. Northwest outhit ESU .240 to .041 in the first set.
Emporia State used another early run to lead in the second set after a 9-1 run put the Lady Hornets in front 14-6, but the Bearcats roared back with an 8-1 run to pull within 15-14 before eventually taking an 18-16 lead after expanding to a 12-2 run. Emporia State responded by immediately ripping off a 7-1 run before polishing off the set 25-21.
The teams played close to begin the third set with both teams struggling to hold serve while trading the first 16 points of the set. The Lady Hornets finally gained separation with a 10-3 run to lead 18-11 after a Brailee Bogle service ace. The Bearcats never got closer than five the rest of the set as Emporia State took a 2-1 lead in the match winning the third 25-19.
After a 4-4 start to the fourth, Northwest took command with a 6-1 run to lead 10-5 and force an Emporia State timeout. The run finally stretched to 8-1 with the Bearcats in front 12-5. Emporia State got back into the set with a 6-2 run to claw within three at 14-11. A 5-0 later brought ESU within one at 19-18 after back-to-back kills by Zuzanna Buchnajzer, but three Lady Hornet attack errors aided a 6-0 Bearcat run to end the set as Northwest knotted the match with a 25-18 set win.
Attack errors continued to plague Emporia State in the fifth aiding a 3-0 Northwest run that also included a Bearcat ace as Northwest took a 7-6 lead in the decisive set. The Lady Hornets immediately responded with back-to-back tallies to lead 8-7 at the changeover after a Sorrells ace. The Hornets gave the lead right back as three Hornet attack errors and reception error keyed a 4-1 Bearcat run that put Northwest in front 11-9. The Bearcats scored four of the last five points of the match to win the fifth set and the match 3-2. Junior defensive specialist and outside hitter Tassiah Nunnery, who played libero in the match, said the Lady Hornets didn’t take advantage of their opportunities.
Head coach Ken Murczek said the lack of aggressiveness offensively contributed to the seven attack errors ESU committed in the fifth set.
Emporia State drops to 7-6 overall and 1-4 in the MIAA after the defeat. The Lady Hornets will try to end their 4-match losing streak Saturday when they host Missouri Western. First serve is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. at White Auditorium.
