The Emporia State volleyball team battled against #17 Northwest Missouri last Saturday in Maryville, getting swept in three-straight sets [14-25, 26-28, 19-25] to drop their record to 10-12 on the season with a 3-7 mark in the MIAA.

The Bearcats started with an early 6-2 lead in the first set and maintained that lead on the way to a 25-14 victory. Northwest Missouri held ESU to eight kills and a .081 hitting percentage in the first game.

There were five tied scores in the first ten points of the second set before Northwest Missouri took the lead. The Bearcats held the advantage until the Hornets went on a 6-1 run to tie the game 15-15. There were three more tied scores until Northwest Missouri took a 21-19 lead, forcing an Emporia State timeout.

The Hornets battled back and tied the set at 22 forcing a Bearcat timeout. Senior outside hitter, Josie Williams’ kill gave ESU a 23-22 lead before back-to-back points by Northwest forced the first set point. Consecutive  points by the Hornets gave them a 25-24 lead, forcing another Bearcats timeout.

Regrouping after the break, Northwest scored four of the last five points to win the second set 28-26.

The Hornets took an early 8-5 lead in the third set before a Bearcat timeout. Northwest Missouri came out of their meeting strong, and went on a 5-0 run to give them a 10-8 lead. The Hornets took a brief 14-13 lead, but the Bearcats took the match and the set with a 25-19 victory. Emporia State was held to a just a .075 hitting percentage in the third set.

The Lady Hornets next conference match is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday in Edmond, Oklahoma against the Central Oklahoma Bronchos.