Gorilla Smash
ESU volleyball team sweeps No. 12 PSU, wins 6th straight
By The Emporia Gazette (Contact)
Originally published 02:09 p.m., September 24, 2007
Updated 02:09 p.m., September 24, 2007
The Emporia State volleyball team has taken a little bit of confidence and gone a long way with it.
Now, a national ranking could be in the Hornets’ future.
ESU dominated No. 12 Pittsburg State on Saturday, taking a convincing 30-22, 30-22, 30-22 victory at White Auditorium.
“We’re playing more together and tighter,” ESU coach Bing Xu said, “and you can see the confidence is there.”
The win was the Hornets’ sixth straight overall and its second consecutive over a ranked opponent. The Hornets knocked off No. 23 Rockhurst, 3-0, on Tuesday in Kansas City, Mo.
“Character-wise, all our players want to be there and have the desire to go after every single ball,” Xu said. “That makes a huge difference right now for this team.”
ESU was led by setter Ting Liu, who had the best perfomance of her collegiate career.
The freshman registered 58 assists — a team record for a three-game match since the NCAA went to rally scoring.
“She’s fit in very well,” Xu said. “She’s started running the show.”
ESU trailed only once — at 7-6 — as it ran away with the first game. The Hornets also commanded Game Two, dropping two of the first three points before regaining the lead for good.
The Hornets showed resiliency in Game Three, falling behind 14-10 before going on a 9-1 run to take control.
“We had a down time, however, you didn’t see any panic on the court,” Xu said. “They just did their job one point at a time.”
ESU hit .333 for the match while holding PSU to a .138 hitting percentage.
Megan Koster paced the Hornets hitters, posting a season-high 18 kills to go with 20 digs.
Arica Shepard (16), Brianne Boner (13) and Mary Walczuk (11) all hit double figures in kills.
ESU (13-4, 3-1) will face another ranked opponent on Wednesday, traveling to take on No. 7 Washburn in Topeka.
Saturday at Emporia
Emporia State 30 30 30
No. 12 Pitt State 22 22 22
Records — Pittsburg State 15-3, 2-2 MIAA; ESU 13-4, 3-1 MIAA.