FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
DENVER, Colo. – The Fort Hays State University volleyball team extended its season-opening winning streak to 12 games with a pair of comfortable victories Saturday at the Johnson & Wales Invitational. The Tigers (12-0) cruised past Haskell Indian Nations University in straight sets before toppling Johnson & Wales on their home floor in four sets.
Fort Hays State was the only school to finish 4-0 in the tournament for the third weekend in a row. Rebekah Spainhour tallied 38 kills on the day to lead the team.
Two of the eight undefeated teams remaining in NCAA Division II will meet up on Tuesday (Sept. 20) when the Tigers open MIAA play at No. 5-ranked Nebraska-Kearney. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Fort Hays State 3, Haskell Indian Nations 0 (25-14, 25-10, 25-22)
The Tigers used an amazing first set propel them to victory over Haskell (5-7) to open the day Saturday morning. FHSU posted an incredibly efficient .533 attack percentage in the opening set, helping the squad hit .390 for the match. Haskell managed to hit at a .117 clip, but had just 25 kills in the match compared to 50 from the Black and Gold.
Rebekah Spainhour led the team with 15 kills and three blocks, hitting .538 after committing just one attack error.Crystal Whitten added 13 kills of her own, giving the pair of seniors three more kills than the entire Lady Indian squad. Seven Tigers contributed four or more digs, with Chandler Hillman pacing the squad with nine. Whitten, Hillman and Ari Jacobsen all managed two service aces. Hannah Wagy handled the setting duties for the majority of the match, throwing up 39 assists.
Fort Hays State connected with 17 kills and just one kill in the opening frame, compiling an astounding .533 hitting percentage. Haskell kept things close until the midway point, never trailing by more than five before closing the gap to three at 13-10 on a Tiger attack error. FHSU then scored 12 of the next 16 points to capture the set, ending on a block by Wagy and Megan Anderson.
The Tigers kept it in cruise control coming out of the break, taking the second set 25-10. Sydney Dixon picked up five kills in the set, including three kills in a span of six rallies to help the Tigers score 11-straight points with Hillman serving. Jacobsen closed out the game with a service ace.
The Lady Indians made things interesting in the third set, leading by as many as three. Whitten opened the set with a kill and two service aces to hand FHSU a quick 3-0 lead. Haskell battled back to take a 14-11 lead with four consecutive points before Spainhour took over. The senior recorded four kills down the stretch to hand the Tigers their three-set victory.
Fort Hays State 3, Johnson & Wales 1 (25-19, 25-13, 22-25, 25-22)
The Tigers wrapped up the weekend with a four-set victory over Johnson & Wales (11-11) Saturday evening. Fort Hays State hit .190 for the match and compiled eight blocks, holding the Wildcats to a .100 attack percentage.
Senior Rebekah Spainhour set a personal-best with 23 kills, recording an efficient .571 attack percentage while adding two solo blocks. Megan Anderson tossed in four total blocks and 10 kills while Crystal Whitten recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 21 kills and 12 digs. Hannah Wagy threw up 55 assists while Ari Jacobsen led the team with 22 digs.
The sides traded the lead numerous times to open the match before Fort Hays State extended a 17-11 lead behind two blocks from Callie Christensen. The Wildcats closed the gap to two, 21-19, prompting Kohler to use a timeout. The Tigers rattled off four-straight points to close out the match, with Whitten recording the final two kills.
The Black and Gold never trailed in the second frame, with Whitten connecting with six kills in the set. The Tigers rattled off six-straight points in the heart of the set to put things effectively out of reach, 16-8. After recording a kill on the opening point, Whitten bookended the set with another kill to clinch the 25-13 victory.
The Wildcats extended the match after taking the third set, 25-22. There were five ties early on in the game before JWU scored five of seven points to extend a four-point lead, 13-9. The Tigers narrowed the gap to one with kill fromSydney Dixon and Spainhour, but the Wildcats bounced back to take the set after scoring the final two points in the frame.
With eight ties scattered through the set, the fourth game was just as competitive as the third. The Wildcats scored five-straight to extend a 13-9 lead before Kohler took a timeout to regroup. The Tigers finally grabbed the lead at 16-15 with a kill from Dixon. With the Tigers trailing 19-18, Spainhour took over down the stretch. The senior recorded kills on five of the last 10 points in the match to hand the Tigers the match.