STORY BY CORA TASSET
PHOTOS BY LEONELL POTGIETER
Fort Hays State University hosted the Tiger Classic Volleyball Tournament on Friday, September 13th and Saturday, September 14th. The Tigers and five other teams competed in Hays in twelve matches throughout Friday and Saturday; including Newman, Northwestern Oklahoma State, Chadron State, Western Colorado, and Southern Arkansas.
On Friday the first game began at 9 a.m. with the Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers vs the Newman Jets. The Rangers won the first set 25-19, Newman won the second set 25-20 and the third set 25-18. North Western Oklahoma won the fourth set 25-16 tying up the sets and causing the teams to play to 15 in a fifth set. The NWOSU Rangers won 15-12, winning the first matchup of the day.
The second face-off of the day was played with the Chadron State Eagles vs the Fort Hays State Tigers. The Eagles won both the first and second set 25-19. The Tigers put up a fight during the third set of their morning, but could not pull through and Chadron State won 25-23.
The third match of the day was with the Western Colorado Mountaineers vs the Southern Arkansas Muleriders. The Mountaineers won the first set 25-13 and the second set 25-21. The third set was a close game while the Muleriders put up a fight, but it was also won by Western Colorado 26-24.
The fourth game on Friday included the Chadron State Eagles vs the Newman Jets. The Eagles won the first set 25-13. During the second set, the Jets put up a good fight, but could not keep the win in their grasp and Chadron State won 27-25. Newman fought hard and won the third set 25-22. The Jets could not keep their drive alive from the third set, and the Eagles won 25-14 in the final set.
The fifth matchup of the night was played between the Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers and the Western Colorado Mountaineers. The Rangers came out on top and won the first set 25-21 and the second set 25-23. In the third and fourth set, the Mountaineers pulled through and won them 25-17 and 25-18. NWOSU and Western Colorado were all tied up in sets forcing them to play the fifth set where the Rangers came out on fire and won 15-10.
The final game on Friday night started at 7:30 p.m. with the Fort Hays State Tigers vs the Southern Arkansas Muleriders. The Tigers swept the match in three games. 25-10 in the first set, 25-17 in the second set, and a close game of 26-24 in the final set of the night.
The first game on Saturday morning started at 9 a.m. with the Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers vs Chadron State Eagles. The Rangers played very well in the first set and won 25-16. In the second set, the Eagles gave NWOSU a hard time, but the Rangers pulled out another win 27-25. In the third set, Chadron State pulled through and won 25-23. In the last set the Rangers pulled out another win 25-18.
The second match of the day was with Newman Jets vs the Southern Arkansas Muleriders. The Jets won the first set 25-21. The second set was a close game, but Southern Arkansas won 25-22. In the third set, Newman fought hard and won 25-20, but the Muleriders won 25-19 in the fourth set. All tied up the teams had to go into the fifth set to 15, both teams were fighting hard for the win and it was a close game up until the Muleriders pulled through and won 19-17.
The third game on Saturday was with the Western Colorado Mountaineers vs Fort Hays State Tigers. The Mountaineers came out strong and won the first and second set 25-18 and 25-19. The Tigers gave Western Colorado a run for their money in the third set, but the Mountaineers pulled out their last win with a score of 25-23.
The fourth matchup of the day included the Chadron State Eagles and the Southern Arkansas Muleriders. The Eagles came out on top sweeping through all three sets and won 25-21, 25-18, and 25-20.
The fifth match was played with the Newman Jets vs the Western Colorado Mountaineers. The Jets won a close first set 25-23, but the Mountaineers came through and won the second set 25-22. Western Colorado held their ground and won the third set 25-21 and the fourth set 25-13.
The final game of the weekend started at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday evening with the Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers vs Fort Hays State Tigers. The Rangers came out on top and won the first set 25-20. Fort Hays State rallied and won the last three sets of the night 25-19, 25-19, and 25-18.
It was a great weekend of volleyball in Hays for the Tiger Classic. North Western Oklahoma State, Chadron State, and Western Colorado State came out on top with a 3-1 record for the tournament. Fort Hays State came through with a 2-2 record in the tournament. Southern Arkansas had a 1-3 record and Newman University finished with an 0-4 record.