By KYLER ROWDEN-STUM
Tiger Media Network
After a tough loss to University of Central Oklahoma, the Fort Hays State University volleyball team needed a spark.
It found it the next night against University of Arkansas-Fort Smith on Saturday night at Gross Memorial Coliseum. The Tigers bounced back in a big way and kept their MIAA postseason hopes alive.
The 3-1 victory — by set scores of 20-25, 25-18, 26-24 and 25-19 — didn’t just break a skid. It gave Fort Hays State the blueprint for how it must play down the stretch.
With the toughest part of conference play still ahead, the Tigers know the energy and execution they showed Saturday can be the difference between chasing a conference postseason berth and earning one.
Assistant coach Carolynne Barbosa said consistency and fight will define how far the team goes.
“Yesterday we kind of stopped playing our game,” Barbosa said about a 3-0 loss to No. 4 ranked University of Central Oklahoma. “But today, we played the whole time the same way — with more fight. We played like we were together. If we keep that up, we’ll go far.”
The Tigers’ performance backed that up. FHSU recorded 58 kills on a .247 hitting percentage, holding the Lions to just .166.
Senior outside hitter Gracie Rains led the charge with 17 kills on 27 swings (.519), while sophomore Grace Schmedding added seven kills and 15 digs.
Setters Abrey Galt and Annie Eaton combined for 48 assists, helping balance the attack and create the kind of offensive rhythm the Tigers will need as MIAA play intensifies.
Fort Hays also matched Arkansas–Fort Smith with 10 total blocks and finished with 67 digs, a sign of growing defensive discipline.
Barbosa said that collective effort — and belief — is what can carry them forward.
“Our conference is very hard, but we have a good team,” she said. “If we play like we did today — fighting for every point and staying together — we’ll be right where we need to be at the end of the season.”
For Rains, that mindset is exactly what she wants to leave behind as a senior leader.
“It’s about being a good teammate and not being afraid to take initiative,” she said. “I’ve been here all four years, and this is the best team camaraderie we’ve had. We know what we’re capable of, and we’re chasing that end goal together.”
That message has resonated with younger players like Schmedding, who continues to develop her role and confidence in her second year.
“Trust — 100%,” Schmedding said. “I’m playing for the girls next to me. We all give 100% effort every day, and that’s what makes this team special. We want to make the tournament and go far. We’re good enough to do it.”
Barbosa, now in her fifth season with the program, said the team’s chemistry gives them a chance to make a late push.
“They play for each other,” she said. “That’s what’s going to carry us. If we keep playing the way we did today — together and with fight — we’ll be in a great position when the postseason comes.”
The Tigers’ win over Arkansas–Fort Smith might have been a moment of redemption, but its real value lies in what comes next. With renewed confidence, sharper execution and the belief that they belong among the MIAA’s best, Fort Hays State is heading into the final stretch with purpose — and the fight to prove it.
FHSU is 14-7 overall and 3-6 in MIAA play. The Tigers are eighth in the conference standings entering a home match against national powerhouse University of Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday.
This story was written as part of INF 322: Sports Writing, a course in the Department of Informatics at Fort Hays State University.