By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
Fort Hays State Volleyball ended a long losing streak on their home floor to Washburn on Tuesday night (Oct. 24) with a four-set victory. It was the first win over the Ichabods in Hays since 2004, snapping a 16-match skid to the Ichabods in Hays. It also snapped a 14-game losing skid to the Ichabods overall, which dated back to the 2015 season when FHSU won in Topeka.
Fort Hays State took the opening set by a score of 25-19, only to see No. 25 ranked Washburn bounce back to tie the match with a 25-17 result in set two. The Tigers took the pivotal third set, 25-23, by rallying for the final two points of the set to break a 23-23 stalemate. They went on to seal the deal in the fourth set, winning 25-22.
The win snapped a 47-match losing skid to AVCA Top 25 ranked opponents for FHSU, which dated back to 2016 when the Tigers knocked off a No. 21 ranked Northwest Missouri State team in Maryville on November 5. FHSU also defeated a No. 6 ranked Central Missouri team earlier that 2016 season on September 30, which was its last win over a Top 25-ranked team in Hays.
The Tigers were able to limit the Ichabods to just a .024 hitting percentage in the first set, forcing 10 attack errors. Half of those hitting errors came in the form of five Tiger blocks in the set, headed by Ashlyn Reeves with three as she sealed the set with a solo block.
The Washburn attack quickly heated in the second set, hitting .333 as a team with 13 kills to just two errors. FHSU had its best attacking set of the night (.211), but it was not enough to offset a strong set from a WU team that also put down five service aces in the set.
The Tigers regrouped and battled through a close third set. Neither team led by more than two until FHSU used a 4-0 burst to take an 18-14 lead. Washburn fought back to eventually draw even with FHSU at 22-22 and the teams traded another pair of points to reach 23-23. Washburn helped FHSU’s cause with a service error, then Reeves was big on the block again sealing the third set by creating a wall with Riley Tinder to give FHSU a 2-1 lead in the match. FHSU benefitted from nine attack and six service errors by WU in the set. The Tigers needed only 10 kills in the set to offset the 15 Ichabod errors, led by Gracie Rains with four in the frame. Washburn held a slight attacking edge in the set, .152 to .143.
Fort Hays State held Washburn under .100 on attack percentage for the second time in the match for their match-sealing fourth-set win. The Tigers outhit the Ichabods .159 to .068 in the set, holding a 15-11 edge in kills. Both teams had eight attacking errors in the set. Down 15-14 in the set, the Tigers rallied for five straight points to a 19-15 lead. Washburn did not go quietly, rallying for four straight points to draw back even at 19-19. Kills from Riley Tinder and Ashlyn Reeves triggered another 4-0 run by the Tigers, capped by a WU attack error and service ace from Caiya Stucky. Washburn rallied again for three straight points, getting back within one at 23-22, but Tinder put down her fourth kill of the set and Claire Olson put the match away with another kill to end the long drought against the Ichabods in Hays.
Rains led the way for FHSU in kills with 14, while Tinder added 13. Reeves was big at the net on defense with seven blocks, just one shy of her season-high eight that she has reached twice. Stucky distributed 39 assists and Brooke Hyland produced a team-best 22 digs. Stucky and Tinder both had double-doubles as Stucky added 10 digs to her assist total and Tinder added 15 digs to her kill total.
Rylee Unruh paced a cluster of three Ichabods that reached double figures in kills, leading the team with 12. Rachel Schwensen and Jalyn Stevenson each added 11. Corinna McMullen topped a two-setter look from Washburn with 23 assists, followed by 21 from Sydney Conner. McMullen finished with a double-double, adding a team-high 16 digs to her assist total. Austin Broadie led WU in blocks with eight.
Fort Hays State improved to 10-14 overall and 4-11 in the MIAA with the win, while Washburn moved to 14-7 overall and 8-6 in the MIAA. FHSU looks for a winning record at home this season when it plays host to Newman University for Senior Night on Thursday (Oct. 26). The match is set to begin at 6 p.m.