FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
DENVER, Colo. – In just two hours, nine minutes the Fort Hays State University volleyball team picked up two dominating victories Friday (Sept. 16) at the Johnson & Wales Invitational. The wins give the Tigers a 10-game winning streak to open the season, their first double-digit win streak since 2003 (14 matches).
FHSU cruised past Central Christian in straight sets first thing Friday morning before swatting away Graceland in three later that afternoon. The Tigers’ defense was out in full force, holding opponents to a -.023 hitting percentage on the day while adding 14 total blocks and 115 digs (19.2 per set). Both opponents are members of the NAIA.
The squad will return to action in Denver Saturday when they play Haskell at 11 a.m. (10 a.m. MT) before a 7 p.m. (6 p.m. MT) contest against tournament host Johnson & Wales.
Fort Hays State 3, Central Christian 0 (25-13, 25-15, 25-18)
The FHSU Tigers had an early wakeup call Friday with their first match schedule for 8 a.m. local time, but they were primed and ready to go right out of the gate against Central Christian. FHSU hit .198 for the match, holding the CCC Tigers to a .000 attack percentage. Both sides managed four blocks in the match, with Fort Hays State totaling 56 digs, 17 more than CCC’s 39.
Megan Anderson led the team with 12 kills and a .556 attack percentage, making one solo block and four digs on defense. Libero Ari Jacobsen picked up 14 digs and one service ace while senior Chelsea Payne led the team with two service aces. Becca Page (20 assists) and Hannah Wagy (13) split the setting duties. Chandler Hillman added seven digs and one service ace.
Fort Hays State used a five-point run to extend a 9-3 lead thanks to back-to-back kills from Sydney Dixon before Kailey Klibbe served during the team’s eight-point rally. Crystal Whitten contributed three kills in a five-point span, the last of which handed the FHSU Tigers a 17-7 advantage. Kylie Rollman brought the set to an end with her second kill of the frame.
Page served to open the second set, with Megan Anderson helping FHSU extend a 5-0 lead with consecutive kills. The teams traded points for much of the game before Rollman brought things to a close with a pair of service aces during another five-point scoring rally for the FHSU Tigers.
Magan Alexander and Megan Anderson took over in the final set, contributing nine of FHSU’s 12 kills in the frame. The two hit a combined .571 while the rest of the team struggled to a -.157 attack percentage. A poor hitting performance from the CCC Tigers helped Kurt Kohler’s squad remain in control throughout the set, which ultimately came to a close with a CCC bad set following an ace from Payne.
Fort Hays State 3, Graceland 0 (25-7, 25-14, 27-25)
The Tigers did not allow a five-plus hour break bother them, coming out against Graceland on fire. FHSU allowed just seven points in the first set against the Yellowjackets. FHSU compiled a .252 attack percentage in the match, holding GU to a -.041 effort on the day.
Megan Anderson once again led the team with 10 kills, adding six total blocks and three digs to cap off an incredible day on the court. Crystal Whitten added nine kills and 13 digs, one off the team-high in both categories. Callie Christensen contributed five block assists and one kill with Rebekah Spainhour throwing in seven kills and four total blocks (three solo).
The Tigers dominated in every facet of the game in the opening set, recording six total blocks to hold Graceland to an abysmal -.220 attack percentage. FHSU was incredibly efficient on offense, totaling 10 kills and just one attack error to hit at a .310 clip in the set. Anderson and Christensen combined for five blocks in the set, with Anderson adding another solo block and four kills. The Tigers scored the first seven points in the set, and the rout was on. FHSU scored 13 of the final 15 points in the set, with FHSU forcing eight Yellowjacket attack errors during the run.
After Fort Hays State took the second set comfortably, 25-14, the Yellowjackets battled back to make the third frame interesting. Graceland took a three-point lead at 8-5, prompting Kohler to use a timeout. The teams traded points until a Spainhour solo block tied the score at 14. The Tigers trailed as late as 23-22 before Alexander threw down a kill coming out of a timeout to level things at 23. Whitten added a kill to hand FHSU a serve on match point, but Graceland stayed alive with a kill. Another solo block from Spainhour helped the Tigers stay alive before a Yellowjacket error sealed the FHSU victory.