Washburn has dominated Emporia State this semester. Whether it be in Can Emporia, football or soccer, the Hornets have felt the wrath of the Ichabods and Lady Blues. And it was no different Friday night at Lee Arena in front of 1,095 on-lookers, as the No. 9 Washburn volleyball team defeated No. 10 Emporia State, 3-0.

“I think definitely being on our home court and having a big crowd helped us,” said senior Monica Miesner. “We were just feeding off the crowd. Our coach prepared us well. We did what he told us to and it worked. We just knew their weaknesses.”

The win for the Lady Blues was the eighth in the last 10 matches versus the Hornets. But in a conference with five nationally ranked teams, wins don’t come easy.

“It was very needed for us since we lost to Truman and Central earlier in the year,” said Miesner, who had 11 kills and a 0.667 attack percentage. “And not just for our standings but for our team confidence and knowing we could compete with teams that are good. It was really big for us.”

Also shining in the victory for the Lady Blues was senior Stephanie Nitz, who had 10 kills and a team-leading seven blocks. Sophomore Molly Smith had nine digs, which tied junior Kate Hampson, who had 38 assists.

Beating the No. 1 team in the conference is quite feat and definitely garners attention. But Miesner believes there will be no additional pressure put on the Lady Blues team.

“I think it shows that we’re up there with [Emporia],” said Miesner. “I don’t know if we have any pressure on us because I think we’re still a young team and not expected to do as well as we believe we actually can.”

The Lady Blues earned another victory earlier in the week on Wednesday when they defeated Fort Hays State on the road 3-0. Sophomore Ashley Shepard had 14 kills and an attack percentage of 0.294.

“Ashley was really awesome offensively,” said freshman Jennifer Kolarik. “She really helped us out.”

Next up for the Lady Blues, who are now 23-2 overall and 8-2 in the MIAA, is a match at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in Maryville, Mo. versus Northwest Missouri. The Lady Blues beat the Bearcats earlier this year 3-0 at home, but know playing on the road is a whole different ball game.

“I think we need to go and play,” said Miesner. “We can’t let the win against Emporia affect us because [the Bearcats] are a good team, and they are capable of beating any team in the conference.”

The Lady Blues will come back home for another action-packed weekend as they play No. 12 Truman State at 7 p.m. on Friday and Missouri Western at 5 p.m. on Saturday.