Story by MAYAN PAZ Photo by CHLOE PELTON
With four games in two days, the Fort Hays State University volleyball team opened its season with three victories and just one loss in a five-set match to conclude the 2025 Tiger Invitational.
After winning two games on the first day of the tournament, the Tigers went on to win the first game on day two in five sets against Kansas Wesleyan. Coming back from a 2-1 set deficit, FHSU pulled through and won the final set 15-12 to seal the game. Ashlyn Reeves, Ella Goodwin, and Gracie Rains led the team with 19, 17, and 16 points, respectively.
PHOTOS FROM ALL 10 TIGER INVITATIONAL MATCHES CAN BE FOUND HERE: https://tigermedianet.com/?p=89007
In the final match of the weekend, the Tigers matched up against Rockhurst University, a team that went to the national tournament last season. FHSU won the first set 25-22; however, Rockhurst won sets two and three 25-15 and 25-19.
In the fourth set, Rockhurst had a 24-22 lead. Staring down match point, the Tigers managed to tie the game and to go on to win the set 29-27, forcing a fifth and final set.
In the fifth, the Tigers were once again down on the scoreboard, as Rockhurst had three match points at 14-11. Once again, led by Rains, FHSU tied the game, but this time around could not hold on and lost 16-14.
After adding 17 points in the second game, Rains talked about the difficulties of playing 10 sets in one day.
“I think a lot of us feel pretty fatigued, but it’s just part of the game,” Rains said. “Mentally, you have to push through. Physically, you have to push through. And I mean, it’s all about who comes out on top,” she said.
Rising to the occasion during the final points of every set, Rains said that there is something about the pressure that helps her to perform.
“I just like the intensity, you know, just everybody’s cheering and everybody’s hyped, and that’s just kind of what keeps me going,” she said.
Despite finishing the tournament with a loss, the team performed well during the weekend and showed spirt as a team. This did not go unnoticed by head coach Jessica Wood-Atkins.
“I’m just telling you, this group is different. They don’t say die. They never say die. No point. It doesn’t matter what point we’re at; they’re in it,” she said. “I’m really proud of them.”
Wood-Atkins continued by summing up the two-day tournament and said there is something special about the group of players she has, addressing a question about the team’s ability to stay alive late in the game.
“I’m not sure that there’s an answer to that. I think that this group is just that they’ve got a fire that runs deeper than most. I can’t explain it, and I think there isn’t an explanation for it. It’s just inside of them,” she said. “That’s a good start for us, and I had to remind them, because they’re very upset at that last one, that this is only our second day of competition. And even though that one stings, that means that they care. That just shows you the level of competitors that they are.”
The Tigers will stay in Hays this week, hosting the Tiger Classic Thursday and Friday. FHSU opens with New Mexico Highlands at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.