BY TRISTAN SASSE
The Fort Hays State volleyball team improved to 8-6 on the season after an impressive weekend in Oklahoma. The Lady Tigers have gone 4-1 since the sudden resignation of head coach Kurt Kohler on Thursday. Kohler compiled the second most wins as a coach in FHSU history. He had 131 wins in eight full years at Fort Hays.
On Thursday, FHSU traveled to Ada, Oklahoma to take on East Central. The ECU Tigers were no match for Fort Hays, and after three sets, FHSU swept ECU. The Tigers had victories in straight sets with scores of 25-19, 25-21, and 25-16.
The following day, the Lady Tigers competed in the MIAA-GAC Crossover Tournament in Bethany, Oklahoma. Fort Hays started the weekend sluggish, losing the first two sets against the Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs, 11-25 and 24-26. After a slow start, the Tigers defeated the Bulldogs in the final three sets, 25-21, 25-17, and 15-12.
In the second match on Friday, the Tigers faced a 6-5 Northwestern Oklahoma State squad. While the Tigers had 41 kills on the evening, compared to NWOSU’s 38, they also had far more errors. In three sets, the Lady Tigers had 17 more errors, which proved to be the difference. FHSU was swept, 21-25, 21-25, and 20-25.
After the match, the Lady Tigers fell to 6-6 on the season, but Saturday was a far more successful day for FHSU. Fort Hays began Saturday by sweeping Oklahoma Baptist (25-23, 25-19, and 25-19). FHSU dominated in all phases of the game. The Lady Tigers had more kills (42-33), blocks (6-5), assists (40-29), and digs (64-53).
Fort Hays continued their winning ways in the final match of the weekend. FHSU lost the first set against Southern Nazarene, 24-26. Following the first set loss, FHSU picked up where they left off Saturday morning. The Lady Tigers won the following three sets, 26-24, 25-23, and 25-19. Not only did Fort Hays finish the weekend improving their record to 8-6, but they have won five of their last six games overall.
Now, the Lady Tigers will return home to begin MIAA action on Friday, September 22, against Emporia State. After ESU, the Tigers will face a tough stretch against three top-25 ranked opponents. FHSU will play #23 Washburn, #6 Nebraska-Kearney, and #13 Central Oklahoma in the upcoming weeks.