STORY AND PHOTOS BY MARISSA CASTANOS
On Friday evening, Fort Hays State University women’s volleyball team battled on their home court with Emporia State, but were eventually defeated in the fourth set of the match. This was the team’s first home game this season, after playing fourteen matches on the road.
The Tigers went into the game with an 8-6 record, and a well-balanced offense. The team has five players averaging at least two kills per set, and is currently dominating the Mid America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) with 686 kills to date.
On Thursday, September 14th, the team lost their head coach, Kurt Kohler, who announced his resignation from his position at FHSU. In his place, Brandi Fairbank has stepped up and is now serving as the Interim Head Coach of the program until the season is complete.
Fairbank was pleased that the girls were able to turn the game around, even though the first set was rough. She was encouraged because the girls were able to come out in the fourth set after losing the third, and did not let their competitors walk all over them, they still competed through the rest of the match, ending with a close score of 23-25.
As a volleyball player herself, Fairbank loved being on the team and feeling the support of the entire school, which she feels now as a coach here at Fort Hays. Fairbank thinks the support from the community helps feed the girls’ energy before games, and she is excited to be at a school that has a great atmosphere to play in.
Even though she had coaching offers elsewhere, Fairbank chose to bring her skills and knowledge of the game to Fort Hays because she knew that the school’s athletic team was in a very competitive conference, and she would learn the most while she was coaching here.
Fort Hays State volleyball team will finish their first weekend of home games with an evening match against the 25th-ranked Washburn Ichabods tonight at 6:30 p.m. in Gross Memorial Coliseum.
