Volleyball wins twice at home

By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION

The Fort Hays State volleyball team defeated Pittsburg State in straight sets Saturday afternoon (Nov. 2) inside Gross Memorial Coliseum, winning 27-25, 25-16, 25-22. The Tigers are now 12-9 overall and 4-8 in conference play, while the Gorillas dip to 10-12 on the year and 5-7 in league action.

Fort Hays State was in control all afternoon, trailing only twice in the match and never by more than two points. The Tigers took an early 5-3 lead before rattling off five-straight points to take a commanding 10-3 lead. Pittsburg State managed to close within one at 12-11 before the Tigers pushed the lead back up to five. The Gorillas hung around, using a 7-1 run to take their first lead of the day at 22-21. Kills from Taytum Lovesee and Claire Olson helped FHSU regain the lead before the teams traded points over the next five rallies. Grace Schmedding helped the Tigers reach set point before a Gracie Rains kill handed the Tigers a 27-25 win.

Pittsburg State scored the first two points in the second set, but it didn’t take long for FHSU to bounce back with the Tigers scoring on the next three rallies. A 5-1 run allowed the Tigers to push the lead to 9-5, prompting a Gorilla timeout. The Tigers maintained a multiple point lead the rest of the way, later sealing a 25-16 win on another Rains kill.

Fort Hays State led wire-to-wire in the third set after scoring the first five points and nine of the first 10. Pittsburg State responded with a 6-1 run to close within three, 10-7, but the Tigers punched back to stretch the lead back to six. The Gorillas later closed within one point four separate times, but FHSU had an answer each time. Schmedding fought off the first PSU rally with a kill before Ashlyn Reeves recorded a kill to fight off the next run. A kill from Lovesee put the Tigers up 21-19 after two-straight Gorilla points. Schmedding later helped FHSU reach match point before Olson dropped in the final kill to secure the Senior Day victory.

The Tigers posted an attack percentage of .224 (42-16-116) compared to a swing rate of .134 (41-24-127) for the Gorillas. Schmedding led the match with 14 kills while adding 10 digs and one solo block, while Olson totaled 12 kills and two blocks (one solo) on her Senior Day. Caiya Stucky distributed 33 assists and added seven digs, two blocks and one kill. Kirsten Evans recorded a team-best 13 digs, while Delaney Gish added two service aces.

After wrapping up the regular season 5-5 at home, the Tigers will be back on the road next Friday (Nov. 8) when they take on Emporia State beginning at 6 p.m.

Friday

The Fort Hays State volleyball team picked up a four-set win over Newman Friday evening (Nov. 1) inside Gross Memorial Coliseum, emerging victorious 22-25, 25-14, 25-22, 27-25. The Tigers move to 11-9 on the year and 3-8 in MIAA play with the win, while Newman dips to 3-22 overall and 0-11 in conference action.

Neither side could gain much momentum in the first set that included 11 ties. FHSU scored the first four points before the Jets rallied to tie things up at 10-10. The teams went back and forth until Newman scored seven of the final nine points, going from 20-18 down to a 25-22 win.

The Tigers came alive on offense in the second set, posting a blistering attack percentage of .542 (15-2-24) to win in dominating fashion, 25-14. FHSU never trailed, scoring the first five points and never looking back. Two kills from Ashlyn Reeves and one from Tallon Rentschler soon built the lead to 8-1. The Jets slowly narrowed the gap, closing within four before another 8-1 Tiger run pushed the lead to 10, 21-11. A kill from Gracie Rains helped FHSU reach set point before a Taytum Lovesee solo block secured the big win.

The third set was another tight affair, featuring 11 ties and six lead changes. Neither side led by more than a point for the first 15 rallies before the Tigers methodically built their largest lead at 14-10. The Jets responded with a 7-1 run to soar in front, 17-15. Two kills from Claire Olson and another from Grace Schmedding helped the Tigers turn an 18-17 deficit into a 20-18 lead, prompting a Jet timeout. Newman managed to tie things up at 21 before Lovesee delivered a final kill to seal a 25-22 win.

The Jets led for much of the fourth set after scoring seven of the first 10 points. FHSU closed within one multiple times, but the visitors managed to build the lead back to four at 16-12. The Tigers later trailed 20-17 before scoring five in a row to take control. Newman then scored the next three to regain the lead, 23-22, before FHSU scored a pair on a Reeves kill and a block from Carsyn Cormaney and Rains to reach match point. The Jets fought off a pair of match points before Schmedding recorded a kill to seal the 27-25 victory.

Fort Hays State posted an attack percentage of .324 (57-12-139), its second-best outing of the year and the best against an MIAA opponent in 2024. The Tigers recorded 11 blocks compared to just three from the Jets.

Four Tigers reached double figures in kills, including Rains with 18, Schmedding and Reeves with 11 each and Olson with 10. Schmedding had a double-double with 11 digs, while Kirsten Evans paced the team with 17 digs. Caiya Stucky contributed 47 assists alongside four kills, five digs and two blocks. Reeves racked up six blocks, including two solo rejections.

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