ESU looking to improvetransition game against Central
When Central Missouri gave Emporia State its first loss this season — beating ESU handily 3-0 on Sept. 23 — the Jennies did something other teams had not done up until that point in the season.
They sustained long rallies against the Hornets, slowing powerful hitters Arica Shepard and Brittney Miller, and eventually getting into the heads of the Hornet hitters.
The Hornets looked completely out of sync that night, and the loss was the start to a lesson the Hornets have had to learn through their three losses.
“I think our main problem is sometimes we’re not used to having the ball returned to us,” Shepard said. “Brittney goes up to hit and you don’t expect it to come back, but sometimes they are passing it and it catches everybody off guard. We weren’t ready to play defense like we should be prepared to.”
Strong defensive teams have been the only teams that have been able to challenge the ninth-ranked Hornets, a trend that dates back to last season.
Central Missouri ranks first in the MIAA in blocks and second in opponents’ hitting percentage. West Texas A&M, which gave ESU its second loss, ranks second in opponents’ hitting percentage in the Lone Star Conference. Truman State, which upset ESU at home last Wednesday and has ended ESU’s season three straight years, ranks fourth in the conference in opponents’ hitting percentage and has traditionally been a strong defensive team.
“It’s a confidence-booster when you can kill the ball after a couple rallies,” Katelyn Kaiser said. “I think those teams will make us better in the end, but we really need to get used to playing like that.”
On Wednesday, the Hornets will get that chance. They also will get their chance at revenge against No. 4 Central Missouri at White Auditorium, and the key to the match is clear for coach Bing Xu, who said the outcome will depend more on how his team plays and not UCM’s performance.
“Our team relies on offense a lot, and if we can’t kill the ball, we start getting anxious,” he said. “We get too anxious instead of staying in control. ... You can’t just assume that you can overpower them. We have to learn how to play the transition game.”
The Hornets are capable of playing the transition game, and Xu said most of the time his team has good composure and doesn’t let an opposition’s defense affect it.
The Hornets are used to relying on their offense — they lead the MIAA in every hitting category — but they also are capable of playing a defensive game. They rank second behind Central Missouri in blocks and rank third in opponents’ hitting percentage.
ESU setter Ting Liu took part of the blame for ESU’s hitters’ struggles in their losses. The Hornets have hit below .200 only three times, and they’ve lost all three. Liu plans to help change that with the way she sets against the top defensive teams.
“I think when we play them, they have very good blocking, and that creates a problem,” Liu said. “We didn’t do a very good job of covering our hitters. For me, I may need to keep up my tempo or put the ball a little off the net.”
Wednesday’s game not only gives the Hornets the chance to prove they can beat a defensive team, but it’s also an opportunity to tie Central Missouri for the conference lead.
The Jennies have won 16 straight, a winning streak that really picked up steam when they got confidence from their win against ESU. To win No. 17, the Hornets are convinced they will have to beat ESU at its best, which is not what they got in the first meeting this season.
“I think since they embarrassed us last time — they embarrassed us big-time — I think we’re going to be definitely prepared,” Shepard said. “We’re not going to come in with that same mindset, and we’re not going to let that happen again. We’re not going to sit back and lose in three.”
ESU drops two spots in poll
Emporia State dropped two spots to No. 9 on Monday in the AVCA Top 25 Poll. Central Missouri is the top ranked MIAA team at No. 4, and Washburn is one spot above the Hornets at No. 8.
Truman moved up one spot to No. 18, and Nebraska-Omaha fell to No. 20. Pittsburg State re-entered the poll at No. 24. The MIAA is the only conference with six teams in the poll and three teams in the top 10.
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