By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
GOLDEN, Colo. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team wrapped up the 2023 Oredigger Classic with a split on Saturday (Sept. 1), defeating Colorado Christian in three sets before dropping a hard-fought battle in five sets against San Francisco State.
Claire Olson led the team with 20 kills on the day, while Emily Ellis picked up a team-high eight blocks across the two matches. Caiya Stucky distributed 72 assists with libero Brooke Hyland totaling 31 digs in seven sets, averaging 4.4 per frame.
The Tigers will now return to Hays where they will make their home debut on Wednesday (Sept. 6) against Kansas Wesleyan beginning at 7 p.m. before hosting the 2023 Tiger Classic next Friday and Saturday (Sept. 8-9).
Fort Hays State 3, Colorado Christian 0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-20)
Fort Hays State dominated the entirety of the first match of the day, trailing only once when it was 3-2 in the opening set. The Tigers scored 10 of the next 11 points to take complete control. The lead later ballooned to 14, 23-9, following a block from Ellis and Stucky before Stucky finished off the 25-15 win with her second kill of the day.
The Tigers scored the first four points in the second set before the Cougars bounced back to tie things up as late as 10-10. Fort Hays State responded by scoring five in a row to regain control before Andressa Ribeiro Soaressecured a 25-17 win. Ellis helped the Tigers finish off the sweep with four kills on six attempts in the third set.
The Tigers posted an attack percentage of .209 while nine FHSU blocks helped limit the Cougars to a swing rate below zero, -.021. Riley Tinder recorded seven kills in the win, while Ellis and Olson both had six. Ashlyn Reevestotaled five blocks against the Cougars, including a pair of solo blocks.
San Francisco State 3, Fort Hays State 2 (25-23, 17-25, 19-25, 25-16, 13-15)
The Tigers and Gators went back and forth all evening, with FHSU dominating the first and fourth sets and SFSU taking care of business in the second and third frames. The final set was close until the final serve, with neither team leading by two points for the entirety of the set.
Fort Hays State used an efficient offensive attack to win the opening set, posting an attack percentage of .364 while recording only five errors. The Gators bounced back with 20 kills and just one error in the second set to tie things up at one.
The Tigers led 8-6 early in the third set before an 8-2 Gator run put San Francisco State on top by four, 14-10. The teams traded points the rest of the way, with the Gators finishing off a 25-19 win to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
Fort Hays State fell behind early in the fourth set but quickly responded, turning a 5-2 deficit into a 13-8 lead thanks to an 11-3 run. The Tigers maintained control the rest of the way, leading by as many as nine en route to a 25-16 win. Ellis helped the Tigers stay alive, recording six kills on 10 swings in the fourth set. The Tigers as a whole recorded just two attack errors in the set.
Neither side was able to pull away in the final set. FHSU’s best chance came midway through the frame when the Tigers scored four in a row to turn a two-point deficit into a two-point lead, but the Gators bounced right back to level the score at 7-7. FHSU led as late as 8-7 before San Francisco State scored four of the next five to take an 11-9 lead. A kill from Reeves and a solo block from Gracie Rainshelped the Tigers tie things up at 13, but two more Gator points put an end to the match.
The Tigers posted an attack percentage of .264 compared to a swing rate of .270 for the Gators. FHSU recorded two more blocks than its opponent, 7-5, while the Tigers also held a 7-6 edge in service aces.
Olson had 14 kills in the loss, with Rains chipping in 13 and Ellis contributing 12. Ellis had five blocks (one solo), while Stucky totaled 46 assists, three kills, two blocks and two service aces.
Friday
The Fort Hays State volleyball team dropped a pair of matches on the opening day of the 2023 season, taking one set off 22nd-ranked Colorado School of Mines before falling in three sets against Findlay. Gracie Rains led the squad with 25 kills on the day, averaging 3.57 per set, while Caiya Stucky tossed up 70 assists, Emily Ellispaced the team with seven blocks and Brooke Hyland racked up 30 digs.
Colorado School of Mines 3, Fort Hays State 1 (18-25, 20-25, 25-23, 18-25)
Two long runs helped the Orediggers establish a six-point lead in the first set, 18-12, before the Tigers scored three in a row to close within three. The tournament hosts regained control down the stretch, scoring the final three points to take the set, 25-18.
The Tigers led for much of the second set until the Orediggers scored six-straight points to turn a 20-19 deficit into a 25-20 win.
Fort Hays State fought back in the third set, extending the match with a 25-23 win. FHSU trailed 14-13 midway through the frame before scoring seven of the next nine points to build a four-point lead, 20-16. Gracie Rains and Emily Ellis got the run started before back-to-back kills from Mya Vandrovec put the Tigers up by four. Colorado Mines battled back to tie the match, but a kill from Riley Tinder sealed the win and sent things to a fourth set.
The Tigers teams traded points for much of the fourth set, with neither side leading by more than two until three-straight FHSU points put the black and gold up 13-10. Fort Hays State continued to lead until the Orediggers scored nine of the last 10 points to turn a 17-16 deficit into a 25-18, match-sealing win.
Rains led the team with 18 kills, recording an attack percentage of .371 (18-5-35). Caiya Stucky tossed up 42 assists while adding two kills, two blocks and two digs. Emily Ellis had six blocks in the match, including a pair of solo blocks, while adding nine kills.
Findlay 3, Fort Hays State 0 (21-25, 15-25, 17-25)
Findlay led by as many as nine in the opening set before the Tigers rattled off a 10-3 run to close within two, 22-20. But the Oilers regained control after a timeout, winning the set 25-21.
The Tigers battled early in the second set, trailing by three midway through the frame, 13-10, before the Oilers pulled away to win 25-15.
Fort Hays State led by as many as five early in the third set, 10-5, before Findlay clawed in front to complete the sweep, 25-17.
Riley Tinder led the Tigers with 11 kills, while Caiya Stuckytossed up 28 assists along the way. Stucky and Ashlyn Reeves both recorded a pair of blocks, with Brooke Hylandracking up 16 digs in the match.