After repeated attempts to get a hold of Emporia State women’s basketball coach Brandon Schneider this past week, the response was fitting, silence. Silence struck White Hall Auditorium after the Lady Blues rallied from 14 down to beat the Lady Hornets 72-70 in mid-January, and one can only imagine silence struck twice this past weekend when the No. 3 Lady Hornets fell to Central Missouri State University 60-63.

But come Wednesday, don’t expect the Lady Hornets to be silent when they travel to Lee Arena to take on the No. 1 Lady Blues. Instead the Lady Hornets will be buzzing with fury looking to avenge their loss earlier this season and to rebound from a lackluster night on Saturday.

The Lady Hornets are very good at rebounding. After losing to the Lady Blues in the Regional finals last year, the Lady Hornets bounced back in style starting the season off 15-0 before losing to Washburn again in mid-January. The Lady Hornets recovered well once again, winning five straight games before losing to Central Missouri State on Saturday. The Lady Hornets would like nothing more than to recover quickly from this weekend’s loss and upset the Lady Blues this Wednesday.

“We’ve had a target on our back for the past few years. It seems like everyone comes out to get us. They know we have a good program and a strong team. I think it’s one of those things where we have to ignore the rankings and standings and just come out and play our game. We have to take the challenge and try to rise up to the occasion,” said Cindy Keeley, junior guard.

The target on their back couldn’t be any bigger come Wednesday. The Lady Blues have won the last four matchups with the Lady Hornets, and although winning on the road in the conference isn’t easy, the Lady Hornets do have the mental edge, as the last time they beat the Lady Blues was in Lee Arena.

But unfortunately for the Lady Hornets, Lee Arena has been friendly ever since as the Lady Blues have won 35 home games. The Lady Blues continued their streaks this past week with easy wins over Pittsburg State 95-65 and Southwest Baptist 84-47. The two wins moved the Lady Blues to 24-0 for the season, 13-0 in the MIAA and a 43-game winning streak dating back to last season. The Lady Blues need six more wins to tie the record for the most consecutive wins with North Dakota at 49.

Wednesday’s matchup is the Lady Blues last home game of the season. The four Lady Blues seniors April Roadhouse, Dani McHenry, Jennifer Harris and Bojana Samardziska will be honored after the game. Roadhouse and McHenry look to improve their four year career record of 115-11, Saturday’s win over Southwest Baptist moved these two to the top of the list for the most career wins.

The No. 3 Lady Hornets are 21-2 for the season and 9-2 in the MIAA.