By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
The Fort Hays State volleyball team came up short Saturday (Sept. 23) afternoon against Pittsburg State, falling in three sets, 25-22, 26-24, 25-17. The Tigers (6-7, 0-4 MIAA) held leads midway through each set, but the Gorillas were able to rally each time to complete the sweep.
Fort Hays State fell behind by three early in the first set but fought back to lead as late as 13-11. The visitors responded with the next four points, taking the lead for good. FHSU fought off the first two set points, closing within 24-22, before PSU called a timeout and ended the set on the next serve.
The Tigers had a chance to take set two, leading 24-23, before Pittsburg State rallied to win the next three points and go up 2-0 in the match. The Tigers led by as many as six in the frame, 20-14, before the Gorillas fought back. Mya Vandrovec came in to spark the Tigers, recording five kills on 10 attempts in the frame. Ashlyn Reeves and Gracie Rains tallied four kills each in the frame.
Fort Hays State again led midway through the third set, leading 14-12 after a Vandrovec kill and a Gorilla error. Pittsburg State then rattled off the next six points, taking the lead for good.
Rains led the Tigers with nine kills, while Vandrovec had seven kills on 15 attempts. Reeves accumulated six kills and five block assists, with Brooke Hyland leading the way on the back row with 16 digs. Caiya Stucky dished out 27 assists in the contest.
The Tigers will be on the road for a pair of contests next week before returning home for five-consecutive home matches starting October 5. The road trip starts Tuesday (Sept. 26) at No. 10 Nebraska-Kearney beginning at 6 p.m.
Friday
The Fort Hays State volleyball team dropped a three-set match against No. 21 Central Oklahoma Friday evening (Sept. 22) at home, 25-19, 25-19, 25-12. The Tigers (6-6, 0-3 MIAA) led midway through both the first and second sets, but the Bronchos (12-3, 3-1 MIAA) managed a rally in both frames.
While Central Oklahoma entered the contest ranked second in the league in attack percentage, the Tigers did their best on defense to keep the Bronchos at bay. FHSU held UCO to its lowest attack percentage of the season at .164. However, the Tigers were unable to capitalize as they could not find a rhythm on offense.
The Tiger defense racked up 11 blocks in the contest, including five from Emily Ellis (one solo), four from Ashlyn Reeves and three from Claire Olson (one solo). Gracie Rains led the Tigers offensively, picking up nine kills on 20 attempts. Brooke Hyland had 16 digs to lead the team, while Caiya Stucky distributed 16 assists.