Emporia State volleyball coach Bing Xu would prefer his team to be a carousel — with the upswings not too high and the downswings not too low.
So far, he’s gotten a roller coaster.
“When we’re up, we’re really up. We’re unstoppable,” Xu said. “However, when we start getting low, it’s really hard for us to come back.”
Xu saw much of the same from his team Wednesday night, as the Hornets fell 30-26, 26-30, 30-24, 30-25 to the No. 8-ranked Washburn Lady Blues.
“We just got really quiet,” senior Jennifer Remmereid said. “We’ve been working on getting better, but it’s just something we’re going to keep working on.”
ESU was at the apex of its thrill ride in Game 2, rallying to tie the match and showing it could compete with the nationally-ranked team.
After coming from behind to tie the game, the Hornets rattled off four straight points to grab momentum and a 28-24 lead.
Hannah Carter later put down a kill to give ESU the game at 30-26, pumping her fist while the other Hornets celebrated with loud screams around her.
The highest of highs.
“We get really excited and pumped when we’re doing really good,” ESU freshman Arica Shepard said, “and then we kind of get a little bit too intense for each other.”
It happened in Game 3.
ESU jumped out to a 5-2 lead, but then surrendered seven consecutive points — with three of those coming on errors.
The Hornets would never lead in any game the rest of the match.
“We feel we can compete with them through and through,” Remmereid said. “It’s just a matter of consistency on our part.”
If Xu was looking for a model to show his team, he only had to look to the other side of the net.
With less screaming and shouting and a more workmanlike effort, Washburn (15-2, 4-0 MIAA) was able to avoid the drop-offs that haunted ESU.
“They were a little more consistent than we were on everything,” Shepard said. “They were a lot calmer than we were. I think that helps them out a lot.”
The loss was a little tougher to take for Arica Shepard, who had to take back some friendly trash talk she gave out earlier in the week.
Her twin sister, Ashley, is a starter for Washburn’s volleyball team. She contributed a match-high 20 kills against ESU.
“It’s always disappointing when you get beat by a sibling,” Arica Shepard said, “but I’m happy for her I guess.”
The setback makes Arica 0-2 against her sister in volleyball matchups, as earlier she also dropped an all-star volleyball match between the two.
Arica said there has always been a competitive nature between the pair, whether it has been in school, sports or simply being the first to accomplish something.
And Arica said Ashley usually wins.
“I’m determined,” Arica said, “to beat her in something.”
Remmereid led the Hornets with 19 kills. Leah Griswold registered 27 digs, while freshman setter Kayla Nolte contributed 55 of the team’s 66 assists.
ESU (8-8, 2-2) will play host to Northwest Missouri at 7 p.m., Friday at White Auditorium. The Hornets will also play at home Saturday, taking on Missouri Western at 7 p.m..