By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
EMPORIA, Kan. – Ten days after defeating Emporia State inside Gross Memorial Coliseum, the Fort Hays State volleyball team bested the Hornets on their home court Tuesday (Oct. 1), 3-1 (25-22, 17-25, 26-24, 25-22). The Tigers move to 6-7 overall and 3-2 in MIAA play with the win, while ESU dips to 4-9 on the year and 0-5 in league action.
The Tigers used a 9-2 run in the heart of the opening set to open up an 18-12 lead before the Hornets battled back to tie things up. Isabelle Reynolds broke up the Hornet rally with a kill before Morgan Christiansen tacked on another point for the Tigers. After ESU closed within 22-21, freshmen Christiansen and Delaney Humm tallied consecutive kills to give the Tigers a chance at set point. The Hornets fought off the first point before a setting error gave FHSU the 25-22 victory.
The teams traded points early in the second set before the Hornets extended a 17-8 lead thanks to an 8-1 run. Fort Hays State clawed back within four, 19-15, before ESU scored on six of the final eight rallies to level the match, 1-1.
After Emporia State slowly built a 17-13 lead in the third set, the Tigers responded by scoring six of the next eight points to level the frame at 19-19. The home team went on another run, stretching out a 23-20 lead before Fort Hays State scored four-straight to reach set point. The Hornets tied things up at 24 momentarily, but kills from Christiansen and Kylie Brown propelled the Tigers to a 26-24 win.
Emporia State once again started strong in the fourth set, scoring the first four points before leading by as many as six, 13-7. But a Hornet service error triggered a big run for the Tigers, who scored 13 of the next 14 points to build a commanding 20-14 lead. Two ESU errors and three kills from Delaney Humm helped the Tigers close within one before Humm and Tatum Bartels combined for a block to tie the set at 14-14.
Bartels gave FHSU its first lead of the frame with a kill before Katie Darnell was credited with a service ace on a rotation error. Morgan West joined the party with a kill to stretch the lead to 17-14 before Humm tacked on two more kills. Emporia State managed to close within one later in the set, 23-22, before back-to-back kills from Reynolds and Humm ended the match.
Emporia State outhit the Tigers on the day, .191-.170. Both sides were busy at the net on defense, with the Hornets totaling eight blocks and FHSU recording seven.
Humm led the Tigers with 17 kills on 48 swings (17-9-48) while adding 15 digs for her seventh double-double of the year. Reynolds and Christiansen added 11 kills each, with Christiansen leading the team with four blocks (one solo). Katie Darnell tossed up 38 assists, adding 13 digs and two service aces. Libero Abbie Hayes paced the Tigers with 16 digs.
The win gives the Tigers a winning conference record for the first time since the end of the 2016 season.
The Tigers will continue their road trip over the weekend when they head to Missouri for a pair of conference matches. First up is a Friday night meeting with 10th-ranked Northwest Missouri State in Maryville, Mo. First serve is set for 6 p.m.