FHSU Athletics
WARRENSBURG, Mo. - The Fort Hays State volleyball team came out strong against No. 17 Central Missouri Friday evening, taking the first set before ultimately falling in four frames, 25-23, 17-25, 13-25, 19-25.
The Tigers never trailed in the opening set, with FHSU capturing the first four points and seven of the first eight, prompting an early UCM timeout. The Jennies made three errors in the early going with Riley Tinder, Claire Olson, Morgan Christiansen and Jaida Felix all contributing kills during the early run. Fort Hays State stretched the lead to seven thanks in part to a service ace from Kirsten Evans before leading by as many as eight following another Tinder kill, 19-11.
The Jennies battled back after that point, scoring the next eight points to tie things up at 19. The teams then traded points after Tinder broke up the UCM run before the Tigers scored four in a row to reach set point. Gracie Rains opened the run with a kill before Emily Ellis followed suit. Jaden Daffer recorded a service ace to give the Tigers a three-point lead before a kill from Olson put the Tigers one point away from sealing the set. The Jennies responded once more, closing within one after scoring three in a row, but Ellis secured the win with her fourth kill of the set.
Fort Hays State led by three early in the second set before the efficient UCM offense came alive, totaling 14 kills on 47 swings to pull away with a 25-17 win. A pair of big runs over the heart of the third set gave the Jennies a sizeable lead before the home team ultimately took a 2-1 lead with a 25-13 victory. Central Missouri led by as many as nine early in the fourth set, but the Tigers fought all the way back to close within three, 20-17, following a 7-2 run. The Jennies bounced back to keep the Tiger run at bay, scoring five of the final seven points to complete the come-from-behind victory.
The Tigers finished the match with an attack percentage of .151, while UCM turned in a swing rate of .290 as a team. Fort Hays State kept pace in digs, totaling 64 digs as a team compared to 70 from the Jennies.
Tinder and Ellis tied for the team lead with 12 kills each, while Tinder added 15 digs for her fourth double-double of the season. Daffer led the team with 19 digs and two service aces, while Felix (20 assists) and Caiya Stucky (14 assists) combined for 34 of FHSU's 37 assists. Kersti Nix paced the Jennies with 24 kills and six block assists.
Fort Hays State returns to action Saturday afternoon (Sept. 23, 1 p.m.) against Missouri Western in St. Joseph, Mo.