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Emporia State Volleyball Back for More
By David Boyce
Two images flash in Arica Shepard's mind when she's asked to look back on Emporia State's championship volleyball season.
And those two moments might be the fuel to help the Hornets live up to their No. 1 ranking in the preseason MIAA coaches' poll.
"The first one is us holding the MIAA trophy," said Shepard, a senior outside hitter from Rossville, Kan. "That was probably the coolest thing to happen to our program."
Emporia State, Shepard said, is normally picked fifth behind traditional powers like Truman State and Central Missouri.
Last year the Hornets kind of came out of nowhere, finishing 18-2 in the MIAA and 31-4 overall including a sparkling 12-1 mark at home in White Auditorium.
But that lone home loss is the one other image that lurks in Shepard's brain when recalling last season.
Emporia State's stellar regular season earned the Hornets the home court in the Division II South Central regional. Emporia State reached the championship match and lost 25-15, 25-14, 25-18 to Truman State.
"We were really disappointed to lose at home in the regional finals," Shepard said. "Truman State has ended our season the past three years."
Still, the Hornets made a statement last year that they were capable of consistently beating the top teams in the conference.
Emporia State received five first-place votes and garnered 94 points in the MIAA preseason poll, edging out rival Washburn, which also got five first-place votes and received 92 points.
"No, I didn't know we were picked first," Shepard said. "That's a pleasant surprise. We are usually ranked no higher than fifth.
"Being ranked No. 1, we are no longer the underdog. We are the top dog. In the past most teams would think of us as an automatic win. Now teams will think of us as a threat before we step out on the court."
Despite having to replace two key hitters in Megan Koster and Hannah Carter, the Hornets enter the 2009 season loaded with experienced talent.
Shepard leads the offense, coming off a season in which she had 473 kills, tops in the MIAA.
The player setting up most of the kills is back in junior Ting Liu, who had 1,534 assists last season and was selected MIAA player of the year.
In all, Emporia State returns four starters, including senior libero Amy Byfield and junior right side hitter Brittney Miller. Byfield, a graduate of Bishop Miege, led the team in digs with 529 and Miller, a graduate of Paola, was third on the team in kills with 341.
"We graduated four seniors last year and two of them played quite a bit," Shepard said. "We need two players to step up and fill those roles. I have confidence we have players who will step up.
"We have three seniors this year. Hopefully, we will have the same chemistry as last year."
Offensive player to watch: Arica Shepard could have one of the most dominating seasons a hitter has ever had in the MIAA because of the setting ability of Liu. If these two players are in sync, Shepard could easily top 500 kills this season. Shepard had 74 more kills than the next MIAA player last season. She might have 100 more this season.
Defensive player to watch: Amy Byfield led Emporia State in digs, but that was only good for 10th in the MIAA. Expect Byfield to climb the digs list this season.
Key game: Although Washburn is the Hornets' biggest rival and the two teams will probably battle it out for first place, the first game that should really get the players' blood flowing is Sept. 16 at Truman State for the obvious reason.
On Monday: Pittsburg State football preview.
