By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
The Fort Hays State volleyball team fell in five sets against Emporia State Saturday afternoon (Oct. 12) inside Gross Memorial Coliseum, 22-25, 25-22, 16-25, 25-17, 9-15. The Tigers are now 9-7 on the year and 1-6 in MIAA play, while the Hornets move to 12-5 overall and 4-3 in league action.
Fort Hays State led for much of the first set, going up by as many as three points on multiple occasions, before a 5-0 Hornet run turned a 15-14 Tiger advantage into a 19-15 ESU lead. FHSU closed within one at 23-22 before the visitors scored two in a row to take the set, 25-22.
Emporia State quickly went up by three in the second set, but the Tigers battled back to take the lead at 8-7 on a block from Ashlyn Reeves and Caiya Stucky. Stucky and Taytum Lovesee later teamed up for back-to-back blocks, pushing the lead to three before a Hope Duncan service ace put the Tigers up 12-8. FHSU later led by as many as six, 22-16, before ESU closed within two on a service ace. Ella Goodwin wrapped up the 25-22 win with a kill after a successful Tiger challenge.
The visitors hit .500 in the third set to pull away convincingly, 25-16, but Fort Hays State punched back with a dominant 25-17 win in the fourth frame. The Tigers took the lead for good at 3-2 and later used a 7-1 run to pad its lead to seven, 15-8. Stucky helped the Tigers reach set point with a kill before Grace Schmedding sealed the win with a 25-17 win.
The Tigers were able to keep things close early in the fifth set, trailing by just two midway through the set, 8-6. But the Hornets recorded seven of the last 10 points to steal the match, 15-9.
Fort Hays State recorded 12 blocks on the day while posting an attack percentage of .193 (54-25-150). Stucky totaled a career-high nine blocks, including one solo, while adding 43 assists, seven digs and six kills. Lovesee accumulated nine kills and five blocks, while Rains paced the team with 13 kills.
The Tigers will hit the road for their next three matches beginning Thursday (Oct. 17) at No. 11 Central Oklahoma beginning at 6 p.m. in Edmond, Okla.
Friday
The Fort Hays State volleyball team fell in three sets Friday evening (Oct. 11) against Washburn, 22-25, 21-25, 15-25. The Tigers are now 9-6 on the year and 1-5 in MIAA play, while the Ichabods improve to 13-3 overall and 4-2 in league action.
The Tigers struggled out of the gate, quickly falling behind by seven, 9-2. Three kills from Grace Schmedding helped FHSU score five of the next six points to close within three, 10-7, before the Ichabods rattled off four in a row to go back up seven. The Tigers continued to battle, using a 6-1 run to close within one, 16-15. Ashlyn Reeves opened the run with a kill before Gracie Rains added two kills. Taytum Lovesee then recorded back-to-back blocks, one solo rejection and one alongside Claire Olson.
Washburn later scored three in a row to stretch its lead back to four before the Tigers scored four in a row to tie things up at 20. Hope Duncan leveled the score with a service ace, prompting a Washburn timeout. The teams traded points over the next several rallies before Washburn scored three in a row to turn a 22-22 tie into a 25-22 win.
The visitors started to pull away early in the second set, eventually leading by as many as 10, 22-12. Fort Hays State wouldn’t go down without a fight, however, scoring the next five points and eight of the next nine to close within three, 23-20. Olson fueled the run with three kills and one assisted block alongside Lovesee. Washburn managed to thwart the Tiger momentum, taking the frame 25-21 before pulling away to take the third set, 25-15.
The Tigers collected seven blocks in the match, including six from Lovesee (two solo). Rains and Schmedding both contributed eight kills, with Schmedding adding eight digs and one block. Duncan led the team with two service aces, while Caiya Stuckyadded 21 assists and nine digs. Kirsten Evans paced the squad with 11 digs.