BY CORA TASSET
PHOTO BY ALLIE SCHWEIZER
Fort Hays State volleyball played Pittsburg State on Friday afternoon. The teams battled hard, but the Tigers lost 3-1. FHSU also faced off with Missouri Southern on Saturday as they celebrated their Senior day and final game of the season. The Tigers won 3-1.
“I think this was a hard season for us, we were plagued with injury and a lot of other things that we just couldn’t control that hit us at the most inopportune times,” Head Coach Jessica Wood-Atkins said. “I think the one thing that I took from that, is that we’ve got a bunch of fighters, and this makes us very excited for our future.”
In the first set of Friday’s game, FHSU fought neck and neck with the Gorillas, but lost 30-28. The Tigers continued to battle hard against PSU bought lost in the second set 25-23.
Pittsburg State lost their momentum and Fort Hays pulled through to win the third set 25-16. The Tigers could not keep up and lost the final match of the day 25-14.
Fort Hays outhit the Gorillas, but PSU rallied later in the first and second set to give them the win over the Tigers. FHSU moves to 6-21 overall and PSU moves to 14-14.
Morgan Christiansen (7) led the team with 11 kills and only one mistake on 19 swings. She also put up four blocks (one solo). Katie Darnell (9) added a double-double on Friday with 38 assists and 21 digs.
“Overall we didn’t finish as well in the conference as we would’ve liked, but we made a lot of progress from the beginning to the end,” Darnell said. “We had a lot of ups, but we had our downs as well. I think we really came together as a team, and our bond grew as well as our skills.”
On Saturday the Tigers started out well in the first set, but fell short losing 25-20. FHSU started out at the bottom in the second set, but after a big kill from Delaney Humm their momentum was on fire and they beat Missouri Southern 25-17. The Tigers stayed on top in the third set and won 25-18. FHSU won the final set of the season 25-23.
“Overall I feel proud of the work that these girls have done and I am excited for what they are building,” Wood-Atkins said.
After the final match of the season, FHSU celebrated its three seniors Morgan West (12), Kylie Brown (20), and Abbie Hayes (43).
Brown played her final season after sitting out her junior year with an injury. She finished with 28 kills and 33 points.
“It’s tough to come back from an injury because at the time you really don’t know what is going to happen in the future,” Brown said. “I feel that I owed it to my teammates to come back and be there for them, whether it’s as a support system or a player on the court.”
As their season came to an end on Saturday, November 16 the Tigers are looking forward to next season. The Tigers finished this 2019 season with a 7-21 record, but they will be back for more next year.