Fort Hays State Volleyball will close out the 2014 campaign onSaturday, Nov. 15 at Emporia State in a 3 p.m. contest.
The Tigers (13-17, 7-14 MIAA) hope to spoil the Hornets’ Senior Day and end the season a high-note by snapping a four-game losing streak. Additionally, a win for FHSU would set a new mark for most conference wins since joining the MIAA.
Three seniors – Taylor Mares, Sara Hewson and Kelsey Broadwellwill play their final matches as Tigers, while student assistant Kelsey Darnell wraps up her career on the FHSU sideline. Mares ranks second on the team with 257 kills this season behind Mallory Flagor‘s 348 kills (3.16 per set), which ranks among the leaders in the MIAA. Another top performer in the conference is libero Keanu Bradley, who sits second in the MIAA with 584 digs on the year and is averaging 5.31 per set – which ranks fourth all-time in FHSU’s NCAA Division II history. Rebekah Spainhour continues to show growth in the middle and has racked up 248 kills with a team-high 90 blocks this year.
ESU (14-11, 10-10 MIAA) has won four of its last six matches, led by Carly Spicer’s 3.66 kills per set (362 total kills). Courtney Haring has 114 blocks for the Hornets this season to go with 216 kills, and Kelley Holden’s 446 digs paces the team.
Both teams use a two-setter system, as Kristin Conor‘s 507 assists leads the Tigers while Raegan Vanderplas is averaging 5.94 assists per set (285 total in 15 matches). For the Hornets, Kimberly Bell has 595 assists and Sydney Hartman has 402 assists.