The Rockhurst Hawks suffered their first loss of the season, falling to Emporia State 3-2 (25-22, 13-25, 25-23, 11-25, 19-17) in their third match of the Rockhurst Classic Saturday at Mason-Halpin Field House.

It was an uphill battle for No. 6 Rockhurst, playing from behind after dropping the first and third sets. The Hawks committed 22 attack errors, opening the door for the underdog Hornets.

Outside hitters Karli Reichert and Alyssa Woodman led the way with 20 and 18 kills respectively. Emily Matio (nine), Emma Kriete (eight) and Mary Rolf (seven) combined for 24 kills.

Setter Dani Prusha led the Hawks in assists with 31, while freshman Gabbie Inman added 21 assists. Kalie Arnold recorded a team-high 29 digs. Woodman and Reichert combined for 21 digs.

Set One: Emporia State 25, Rockhurst 22
The Hawks led 9-8 in the first set, but a 4-0 Emporia run propelled the Hornets in front. Rockhurst battled back to tie it at 16, but an 8-3 ESU run put the Hornets up 24-19, and they closed out the set despite a late flurry by the Hawks.
 
Set Two: Rockhurst 25, Emporia State 13
The Hornets jumped out to a 6-1 lead, but Rockhurst kicked it in gear, outscoring ESU 24-7 the rest of the way. Runs of 10-2 and 9-1 gave the Hawks some separation and they evened the match 1-1.

Set Three: Emporia State 25, Rockhurst 23
Rockhurst led 23-18 despite Emporia scoring four of the first five points in the set. ESU closed on a 7-0 run, aided by untimely attack errors by the Hawks.

Set Four: Rockhurst 25, Emporia State 11
Tied at 5 early, Rockhurst would outscore ESU 20-6 the rest of the set, including a 9-1 run.
 
Set Five: Emporia State 19, Rockhurst 17
The Hawks struck first in the fifth set, opening up a 4-0 lead. They maintained that four-point margin at 8-4, but ESU rattled off five of the next six points to level the score 9-9. The Hawks were treading water, falling behind in each of the three extra points. The Hornets took the match with back-to-back kills for points 18 and 19.

Player of the Match
Kalie Arnold. The senior libero dug 29 balls and added four assists.
 
Inside the Box Score

• In winning sets, Rockhurst hit .379 and .600. In losing sets, the Hawks hit just 146, .188 and .156.
• Two Hawks posted double-doubles, Reichert (20 kills and 10 digs) and Woodman (18 kills and 11 digs)

On Deck
Rockhurst hosts Northwest Missouri State at 7:30 tonight in its final match of the tournament.