By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
Fort Hays State Volleyball posted an MIAA season-high 20 team blocks in a four-set match with No. 10 ranked Washburn on Tuesday (Oct. 11) at Gross Memorial Coliseum. The 20 blocks were also an NCAA best in a four-set match so far this season, but it was not quite enough to knock off Ichabods in Hays as the Tigers fell 3-1. FHSU took the opening set 26-24 before Washburn claimed the next three 25-18, 25-18, and 25-20.
Emily Ellis set a new Fort Hays State record for assisted blocks in a four-set match during the rally scoring era with 10, which accounted for all of her blocking in the match. The record was nine, accomplished eight times before and most recently by teammate Morgan Christiansen in 2021 against Black Hills State in a four-setter. Christiansen finished with eight blocks in the match with two solo and six assists. Ellis also tied the FHSU record for most blocks by an individual in any length of match, matching Katie Carnes and Neeley Remmers who both had 10 in the same five-set match with West Texas A&M during the 2005 season.
The 20 blocks for FHSU tied the most by a team in a four-set match at the NCAA Division II level since the beginning of the 2020 spring season in which some teams took part in during the year of the COVID-19 pandemic canceling the NCAA Championships. Embry-Riddle had 20 in a four-set match during the 2021 season to lead Division II in that category.
The 20 team blocks were also Fort Hays State’s most total blocks in a match since 2005, when it turned out 20.5 blocks in that aforementioned match against West Texas A&M that Carnes and Remmers set the rally scoring era school record for assisted blocks in a match. All of Fort Hays State’s blocks in that match were on assisted blocks as the team accounted for 41 in the match. Tuesday night, the Tigers had 36 against Washburn coupled with four solos. However, the Tigers did set a new record as a team for the 25-point rally scoring era because sets in matches in 2005 were still going to 30, which eventually changed to 25 in 2008.
Washburn was no slouch in the blocks department either, recording 11 as a team in the match, bringing the grand total of points scored on blocks in the match to 31 between the two teams.
Fort Hays State held an early advantage in the first set, reaching three points a few times before Washburn went on a 6-0 run to lead 15-12 after trailing by three. FHSU rallied back to even the score at 15 and then it was a tight battle for the remainder of the set. A service error by the Ichabods and then an ace by Riley Tinder gave the Tigers the opening set after a 24-24 tie. The Tigers hit .167 in the opening set, while holding the Ichabods to .098.
Washburn found its offensive footing in the second set, leading by as many as 11 at 22-11 before closing out a seven-point win in the set. The Ichabods hit. 306 for the set, while holding the Tigers to .098.
An 8-0 run by Washburn to open the third set put the Tigers in an uphill battle that they could not overcome. They eventually pulled within five points at 23-18 before the Ichabods scored the final two points to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
Fort Hays State had glimmers of potentially forcing a fifth set, up 11-8 before the Ichabods tied the score four times and finally overtook the Tigers with a 5-0 run to lead 23-18. The Tigers pulled back within three, but the Ichabods closed the fourth out with a kill and then appropriately a block to end the blocking frenzy between the teams.
Christiansen generated the most points of any Tiger in the match with 14 on nine kills to go with her two solo blocks and six assisted blocks. Mykah Eshbaugh had a team-high 10 kills and added four assisted blocks to account for 12 points in the match. Ellis had five kills to go with her FHSU record 10 assisted blocks. Jaida Felix and Caiya Stucky split the assist distribution with 18 and 17 respectively. Jaden Daffer had an impressive 26 digs in the contest, averaging 6.5 per set.
Sophie McMullen led Washburn with 13 kills and 22 digs. Halle Meister also reached double figures in kills for WU with 10.
The Tigers saw a three-match win streak come to a halt, now 9-11 overall on the season and 4-8 in the MIAA. Washburn improved to 17-3 overall and 9-3 in the MIAA. The Tigers head south this weekend to take on Newman on Friday and Central Oklahoma on Saturday.