By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
EDMOND, Okla. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team fell in three sets Saturday afternoon (Oct. 21) at No. 19 Central Oklahoma, 25-17, 25-14, 25-18. The Tigers (9-14, 3-11 MIAA) matched the Bronchos (20-3, 11-2 MIAA) with six team blocks, but a 43-25 edge in kills aided UCO in the win.
Fort Hays State kept things close to open the first set until a 7-1 Broncho run turned a 9-9 tie into a 16-10 lead. Another big UCO run in the second set blew things open, with the Bronchos scoring nine in a row to go from up two, 13-11, to up 11, 22-11. The Tigers led as late as 9-8 in the third set before UCO scored four in a row to take the lead. FHSU tied things up at 13 before another Broncho run put UCO on top for good.
Riley Tinder led the Tigers with six kills while adding seven digs. Brooke Hyland picked up a team-best 15 digs, while Gracie Rains totaled three blocks to lead the way. Caiya Stucky had 19 assists on the day.
Fort Hays State will return home to host its final two home matches of the season next week when the Tigers take on No. 21 Washburn on Tuesday (Oct. 24) and Newman on Thursday (Oct. 26), with both matches beginning at 6 p.m. inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.
Friday
PITTSBURG, Kan. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team picked up a road win over Pittsburg State Friday evening (Oct. 20), toppling the Gorillas in four sets, 25-17, 19-25, 26-24, 25-17. The Tigers (9-13, 3-10 MIAA) totaled 11 team blocks in the win, reaching double figures for the third time across their last four contests. FHSU limited the Gorillas (7-14, 3-10 MIAA) to an attack percentage of .105 (48-31-162) while turning in a swing rate of .219 of their own (56-21-160)
A seven-point run helped Fort Hays State take control in the opening set, turning a 7-5 lead into a 14-5 advantage. Caiya Stucky and Riley Tinder both recorded two kills during the run. The Tigers held on down the stretch, maintaining a lead of at least six points the rest of the way.
The teams traded points early in the second set before a 7-2 Gorilla run turned an 11-11 tie into an 18-13 PSU lead. Kills from Ashlyn Reeves and Emily Ellis and a combo block from Claire Olson and Ellis helped the Tigers close within three, but the Gorillas bounced back to even the match with a 25-19 win.
Fort Hays State never trailed in the third set, scoring eight of the first 10 points to take control. The Tigers later led by as many as 10, 15-5, before Pittsburg State started to rally. A 13-5 run allowed the home team to pull within two, 20-18, prompting a Tiger timeout. Ellis and Stucky combined for a block out of the huddle to retake control before Tinder put down another kill, putting FHSU up 22-18. The Tigers reached set point, 24-22, but Pittsburg State scored the next two points to level the score at 24. Olson recorded a kill on the next rally to put FHSU back on top before teaming up with Reeves for the set-winning kill, 26-24.
Ellis took control in the fourth set, throwing down seven kills on eight attempts without recording an error. Pittsburg State led momentarily early on, 4-3, before Fort Hays State regained the lead for good on a Tinder kill. The Tigers continued to build on their lead throughout the set before Tinder brought the evening to a close with her 15th kill of the match.
Tinder added 20 digs on the evening, recording her fourth-consecutive double-double and her ninth of the season. Ellis contributed 15 kills on 25 swings, compiling an attack percentage of .520, while recording seven blocks. Stucky distributed 45 assists and added four blocks, including one solo.