By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
The 2022 Fort Hays State volleyball senior class put together an impressive performance in their final contest inside Gross Memorial Coliseum Saturday evening (Nov. 5), helping the Tigers complete the season sweep of Missouri Southern with a four-set win, 25-19, 25-19, 23-25, 25-17. Fort Hays State (11-17, 6-14 MIAA) dominated in nearly every facet of the game to win its fifth-straight over Missouri Southern (13-16, 8-12 MIAA) and even up the all-time series, 32-32.
The Tigers honored six seniors at the conclusion of the match, including Mykah Eshbaugh, Elysia Glowacz, Emily Ellis, Morgan Christiansen, Jaida Felix and Jaden Daffer. Glowacz, whose season was cut short due to injury, opened the evening with a ceremonial first serve before the rest of the senior class took over the rest of the way.
The remaining five seniors combined for 40 kills, 36 digs, 34 assists and 15 blocks on the night. Ellis and Christiansen both totaled 14 kills, with Ellis racking up seven blocks and Christiansen tallying five. Eshbaugh contributed 12 kills, six digs and three blocks, while Felix tossed up 31 assists and nine digs. Daffer accumulated 19 digs alongside three assists and one service ace.
Fort Hays State took control early in the first set and never let up, winning the first seven points. The Tigers later led by eight before MSSU scored seven in a row to close within one. FHSU regained momentum the rest of the way, building another eight-point lead before taking the first set by six, 25-19. Ellis and Christiansen combined for nine kills, five blocks and zero errors in the first set, swinging at a .600 clip from the middle of the net.
Three big runs helped the Tigers come from behind to win the second set. MSSU grabbed eight of the first 10 points and later led by as many as seven before the Tigers started their rally. Two service aces from Brooke Hyland and a combo block from Caiya Stucky and Ellis helped FHSU close within two on a 5-0 run before the Tigers turned a 15-10 deficit into a 16-15 lead on another long run. Later with the score tied at 18, FHSU again scored six in a row to reach set point. Three straight kills from Ellis helped the Tigers push the lead to 24-18 before Ellis’ sixth kill of the set gave the Tigers another 25-19 win.
Missouri Southern led for the majority of the third set, including a six-point advantage at 14-8. The Tigers did all they could to rally and complete the sweep, closing within one at seven different points, but the Lions held the Tigers off just enough to win 25-23.
Eshbaugh took over in the fourth set, totaling six kills and zero errors on 11 swings to help the Tigers complete the win. MSSU’s only lead came at 1-0 before an 8-3 run over the heart of the set helped the Tigers pull away. Up only one, 5-4, the Tigers scored eight out of 11 to build the lead to six. Missouri Southern was unable to recover, with the Tigers leading by no fewer than three the rest of the way.
Riley Tinder joined the seniors in making major contributions on the stats sheet, totaling 12 digs and a team-high 21 digs for her 12th double-double of the season. The outside hitter also dropped in four service aces, her fifth match this season with at least four aces.
Claire Olson added six blocks, eight digs and two kills, while Hyland racked up five digs and three aces. Kirsten Evans also reached double figures in digs with 15.
The Tigers outhit MSSU, .167-.076, and picked up 11 more kills, 54-43. FHSU also led the way in blocks, 13-10, digs, 87-84, aces, 8-5 and assists, 49-35.
Fort Hays State finished the regular season in ninth place in the MIAA, two games behind MSSU and Missouri Western for the final spots in the MIAA Championship Tournament.
Friday
The Fort Hays State volleyball team came up short against Pittsburg State Friday evening (Nov. 4), falling in three sets inside Gross Memorial Coliseum, 25-19, 25-20, 25-19. The Tigers (10-17, 5-14 MIAA) got off to a slow start but roared back late in the first set and early in the second frame before the Gorillas (16-13, 10-10 MIAA) bounced back to complete the sweep.
The Tigers fell behind early in set one, with PSU leading 15-5 and later by as many as 12, 20-8. But Fort Hays State rallied back, closing within five thanks to a 10-3 run. Mykah Eshbaugh, Emily Ellis and Riley Tinder all picked up two kills during the big run, with Ellis also teaming up with Claire Olson for a block to help the Tigers get back in contention.
Fort Hays State got off to a better start in the second frame, leading for much of the set until a late Gorilla run helped the visitors steal the win. The Tigers quickly led by as many as five, 8-3, and held onto that lead until PSU scored four in a row to tie things up at 15. FHSU managed to hold off the Gorillas for a bit, keeping the lead until PSU scored the final seven points of the set to turn a 20-18 deficit into a 25-20 win.
The home team quickly led by three in the third set, 4-1, before PSU regained control following a 7-7 tie. The Gorillas led the rest of the way, going on to win the set, 25-19, and the match, 3-0.
Tinder totaled nine kills and 16 digs to lead the team in both categories. Eshbaugh added eight kills and two blocks, with Christiansen compiling seven kills and two blocks. Ellis led the way with three blocks, while Caiya Stucky paced the team with 15 assists. Stucky was followed closely by Jaida Felix with 14. Meg Auten totaled 15 kills and 16 digs in the win for Pittsburg State.