EMPORIA, Kan. – The Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team completed its five-match road trip through the MIAA by dropping a five-set match to Emporia State University at White Auditorium on Wednesday night.
The Hornets prevailed by set scores of 17-25, 25-12, 21-25, 25-22 and 15-13 to sweep the season series. ESU defeated Northwest in four sets on Sept. 28 in Bearcat Arena. ESU improved to 15-6 overall and 7-4 in MIAA action. Northwest dipped to 12-10 overall and 6-6 in league play. Northwest is 3-2 in five-set matches this season.
Abby Bulthuis, who made her first start of her collegiate career, secured two kills in the first three points. The Bearcats did not look back as they led wire-to-wire in the first set, 25-17. Northwest connected on 16 first-set kills and hit .341 with two attack errors. ESU hit .184 with 12 kills and five attack errors.
The Hornets leveled the match at 1-1 with a 25-12 triumph in the second set. ESU took a 6-1 lead to gain some early momentum in the set. Northwest closed the ESU advantage to 11-9. However, the Hornets stung back by closing the set on a 14-3 run to draw even in the match. The Bearcats managed only seven kills in the set, while the Hornets put up 16 kills and hit .400. Northwest hit .067 with five errors in the second.
Northwest built a 15-12 lead in the third set, only to have Emporia State storm back with a 4-0 spurt to take a 17-16 advantage and force a Bearcat timeout. Northwest retook the lead at 19-18 as the Hornets took a timeout. Following a
Kristen Ford service ace, ESU took its final timeout of the set as Northwest took a 22-19 lead. ESU scored two straight points after the timeout, but the Bearcats responded by scoring final three points of the set on a kill by
Payton Kirchhoefer, a service ace by
Kyah Luhring and an attack error by ESU's Camilla Ossola, 25-21. Northwest limited ESU to .029 hitting in the third as the Hornets had nine kills and eight attack errors. Northwest recorded 13 kills and hit .154 in taking a 2-1 lead.
Northwest spotted ESU a 12-9 lead in the fourth set. The Bearcats drew even at 12-12 midway through the fourth. ESU inched out to a 17-14 lead when Bearcat head coach
Amy Woerth exercised her first timeout of the set. ESU edged out to a six-point lead at 22-16 as the Bearcats used their final timeout of the set. Northwest battled back to within 24-22, but ESU was able to get a kill from Ossola to score a 25-22 win in the fourth. ESU hit .289 with 14 kills and three attack errors in the set. Northwest hit .140 with 15 kills and nine errors in 43 attacks. ESU benefited from four blocks to zero for Northwest in the fourth set. Through four sets, each squad was credited with 51 kills.
The Bearcats gained the upper-hand early in the fifth and deciding set with a 3-0 spurt. Northwest won a challenge to take a 5-2 lead. But the Hornets scored four straight points to take a 6-5 advantage, and the Bearcats called a timeout. Northwest retied the set at 7-7 on a block from
Kate Frakes and Kirchhoefer. ESU tallied the next three points to take a 10-7 lead. Northwest drew even again at 12-12 after back-to-back kills from
Abby Brunssen and
Ella Caffery. The match was tied again at 13-13, but ESU was able to tally the final two points to escape with a 15-13 win in the fifth.
Northwest had a trio of performers reach double-figure kills in the match. Brunssen led the way with 15 kills for her 16th 10-plus kill match this season.
Kasidy Mohwinkle notched 12 kills (.273) for her 10th double-figure kill total in a match this season. Bulthuis garnered her first career double-figure kill total of her career with 12 kills.
Kyah Luhring led the defensive effort with 23 digs. Caffery and Brunssen were each credited with a team-high six blocks. Caffery dished out a team-best 43 assists.
Northwest's next match is set for 6 p.m. Nov. 8 at home against Missouri Southern.
