ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Georgia Ahlert fueled a fast start in the fateful fifth set that propelled No. 24-ranked Central Oklahoma to a thrilling upset of No. 13 Emporia State in the first round of the MIAA Volleyball Championship late Thursday night.
The Bronchos won the first (25-23) and third (25-18) sets while Emporia took the second (26-24) and fourth (25-21) to set up the fantastic finish. Ahlert flushed down two kills while adding two blocks as UCO bolted to an 8-2 lead on its way to a 15-10 victory that capped an upset-filled day.
The fifth-seeded Bronchos improved to 22-7 in moving into Friday's 7:30 p.m. semifinals against eighth-seeded Fort Hays State, while No. 6 seed Pittsburg State faces second-seeded Missouri Western in the other semi. Saturday's finals are at 6 p.m., with the champion earning the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Division II Volleyball Championship.
FHSU knocked off regular season champion and No. 6-ranked Nebraska-Kearney in five sets and Pitt State swept third-seeded Washburn in Thursday's other opening round upsets.
"I'm really proud of the fight we showed tonight against a fantastic Emporia team," head coach Edgar Miraku said. "We played with great effort and enthusiasm and just refused to lose. A lot of players stepped up for us in different situations."
The Hornets swept UCO in this year's regular season meeting, but the Bronchos wouldn't be denied in an epic showdown that was a back-and-forth battle from the outset.
Emporia's fourth set win forced the deciding set and after an early 2-2 tie the Bronchos took control with a 6-0 run.
Ahlert led the charge, making two kills while rejecting one shot herself and joining Riley Roberts for another block. Sawyer Franz knocked down back-to-back kills to end the surge that put UCO on top 8-2 and the lead was seven (12-5) after a Taylor Fenton kill.
It was still a seven-point cushion at 13-6 following a Kate Wells kill and again at 14-7 after Myla Unterweger's kill before ESU scored three straight to make it 14-10. But there would be no miracle comeback for the Hornets as Roberts dumped in a final kill to seal the deal.
Six players had double digit kills for UCO, which hit .308 as a team in one of its most efficient offensive outings of the season.
Franz led the way with a season-high 16 kills, while Unterweger finished with 13. Ahlert and Fenton had 12 kills apiece, with Ahlert adding six total blocks. Wells hit a sizzling .556 with 11 kills in 18 attacks with one error to go along with three blocks.
Roberts was fantastic directing the offense, handing out a career-high 59 assists while also hitting .357 with 11 kills, 13 digs and three assisted blocks. Her triple-double (kills/assists/digs) is the 21st in the NCAA this season and just the second in the MIAA in 2026. Kaitlyn Parrott (26 digs) and Jordyn Baker (career-high 23) came up big in leading UCO's back row defensive efforts.
Emporia led 5-4 in the opening set before the Bronchos reeled off six unanswered points to go in front 10-5 on a Parrott ace that capped the spurt. UCO led 13-7 after a Roberts kill, but the Hornets back with a 9-2 run to move ahead 16-15.
Wells smacked down a shot at the net to pull Central even at 16-all and the teams were tied again at 17, 18, 19 and 20 before an Ahlert kill put the Bronchos on top to stay at 21-20. Ahlert them teamed with Franz for a block and added another kill as the Bronchos went on to take the 25-23 victory.
The second set was back-and-forth throughout, featuring 22 ties and nine lead changes. ESU scored the final two points to break a 24-all deadlock and claim the 26-24 win that evened the match.
UCO trailed 4-2 in the third set before going on a 6-2 run to take the lead for good at 8-6. Fenton teamed with Wells for one block and Ahlert for another to spark that surge.
Ahlert knocked down consecutive kills and Roberts added another as the lead grew to four at 13-9 and it was a seven-point cushion (20-13) following a Fenton kill. The Hornets got within four at 22-18, but the Bronchos finished it off with kills by Ahlert and Roberts followed by Baker's set-sealing ace.
Central led 12-7 in the fourth set after an Unterweger kill, but ESU came back to tie it and went on to take the narrow win in forcing the decisive fifth set.
