For Bing Xu and the Emporia State volleyball team, now is the time to dream a little bit.
Sure, the fourth-seeded Hornets might not be the favorite to advance out of the South Central region at this weekend’s NCAA Tournament play in Kirksville, Mo.
Then again, it doesn’t hurt to set their sights high.
“I think we have a chance to get out of this region,” Xu said. “Everybody hopes that. We just need to see what we can do there.”
First things first, and that means No. 15 ESU will turn its attention to fifth-seeded Pittsburg State.
Though the Gorillas are ranked higher in the latest National poll (No. 12), ESU has had the edge this season, winning both of the teams’ meetings.
The Hornets swept the Gorillas 3-0 at home on Sept. 22 before taking a 3-2 victory in Pittsburg on Oct. 20.
“It’s hard to beat a team three times everybody always says,” ESU sophomore Arica Shepard said. “I just see that we usually find their weaknesses every time we play them and we usually find a way through it.”
If ESU were to advance past the first round, it more than likely would face a familiar opponent Friday.
Fourth-ranked Truman — the top team in the Region and also host of the South Central Regional — would more than likely be the Hornets’ foe.
ESU hasn’t been able to defeat the Bulldogs yet this season, falling 3-2 to them on Nov. 2 and 3-1 on Nov. 9.
Both matches were played in Kirksville.
“I know we can beat them. We’ve come so close,” Shepard said. “We just need to minimize our errors, and we can do it.”
One advantage ESU might have is coming into the tournament with some momentum.
The Hornets have won 10 of their last 12 matches, with the only two losses in that span coming against Truman.
ESU also showed how well it could play on Oct. 30, sweeping then-No. 4 Washburn 3-0 at White Auditorium.
The Lady Blues are the two seed in the tournament.
“I really have high confidence with this team — team-wise and individual-wise,” Xu said.
ESU should be familiar with the difficulty of the Regional, as five of the eight teams in the tournament are from the MIAA.
It hasn’t stopped the Hornets — in their second NCAA Tournament in the last three years — from having great aspirations.
“Anything’s realistic at this point,” Shepard said. “We know what we’re up against.”