By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
A strong all-around effort lifted the Fort Hays State volleyball team to its second-straight victory Saturday evening (Oct. 13), knocking off Missouri Southern in four sets. The Tigers are now 8-15 on the year and 2-9 in MIAA play, while the Lions dip to 2-19 overall and 2-9 in league action.
The Tigers set the tone in the opening set, taking six of the first eight points. MSSU tied the match at six before Fort Hays State scored the next eight points, taking a commanding 14-6 lead. Kills from Azlyn Cassaday and Bre Becker opened the run before three-straight Lion errors stretched the lead to five. Abbie Groth dropped in a kill from the back line before Tatum Bartels and Cassaday added consecutive kills to put the Tigers in front by eight. Missouri Southern closed within five later in the frame, 19-14, but the Tigers countered with five-straight points to reach set point. A service error two points later gave Fort Hays State a 25-15.
Missouri Southern took an early three-point lead in the second set after a service ace put the Lions in front 8-5. The Black and Gold stormed in front thanks to a nine-point run, taking a 14-8 lead. A kill from Morgan West leveled the score at eight before Ashley Webb gave the Tigers the lead for good. West and Webb then combined for a big block, forcing a Lion timeout. FHSU later stretched the lead to nine, 21-12, after back-to-back Lion errors. A kill from Cassaday gave the Tigers a serve for the set, 24-18, before the Lions captured the next three points to close within three. The rally was short-lived, however, with a Lion service error giving FHSU a 25-21 victory.
Neither side could pull away in the third set, with the margin staying within three until the final point in the set. Trailing by three late in the set, back-to-back kills from Reynolds and a service ace from Bartels tied things up at 18. MSSU scored three points of its own before the Tigers rallied to tie things up yet again at 21. The back-and-forth set came to a close after Missouri Southern scored the final four points, sealing a 25-21 win.
The first 14 points of the fourth set were split evenly between the teams before FHSU went on an 8-1 run to jump in front, 15-8. The Tigers went on to cruise to another 25-15 win, finished off by a block from Cassaday and Christianna Herron.
Reynolds paced the Tigers with 16 kills, while Cassaday added 10 kills and 22 digs for her second consecutive double-double. West logged eight kills, two digs and one block. Becker tossed up 40 assists for the second night in a row, adding four kills and 14 digs.
Fort Hays State tallied a .221 attack percentage as a team, while holding the Lions to a .130 swing rate. The Tigers limited the visitors to a -.094 attack rate in the opening set.
The Tigers will continue their homestand Tuesday when they host No. 3 Nebraska-Kearney at 6 p.m. inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.