JOPLIN — The Missouri Southern Volleyball team swept Emporia State this afternoon inside Young Gymnasium, winning by the scores of 25-19, 25-11 and 25-18.
It is the first win for the Lions (9-9, 2-6 MIAA) over the Hornets (5-12, 1-8 MIAA) since the 2010 season.
Janelle Brehm paced the attack for Southern with 12 kills and a .290 attack average, adding eight digs and two blocks in the process. Morgan Nash had six kills, 17 assists and nine digs, while Brooklynn McCain added 12 digs and Makenzie Fa’amausili-Cacoulidis dished out ten assists. Alicia Pickett had four blocks, whil Alyssa Diaz had three.
ESU was led by Yuchen Du with 11 kills.
The two teams traded points through most of the first set, but a 2-0 run for the Lions late gave Southern a 19-17 lead and forced an ESU timeout. The lead was 23-19 and forced another Hornets’ timeout before the Lions finished off the set with a kill from Shaylon Sharp.
Set two saw Southern rushed out to a 10-4 lead and the Lions led 17-9, forcing an ESU timeout. The Lions finished the set on an 8-2 run. The Lions led from start to finish in the third set, jumping out to a 20-10 lead before a block from Pickett and Nash sealed the win.
The Lions will be back in action this Tuesday night as Southern plays host to Pittsburg State. First serve from Young Gymnasium is slated for 6 pm.
