FHSU Athletics
HAYS, Kan. - The Fort Hays State volleyball team opened the 2023 Tiger Classic with a pair of victories Friday (Sept. 8) inside Gross Memorial Coliseum, knocking off New Mexico Highlands in four sets before sweeping Southern Nazarene in three. The Tigers are now 4-3 on the year after winning each of their first three home matches.
Gracie Rains and Riley Tinder both accounted for 26 kills on the day, with Tinder adding a team-high 28 digs across seven sets. Emily Ellis racked up four blocks in each contest, while Caiya Stucky distributed a total of 83 assists, averaging 11.9 per set.
Fort Hays State is scheduled to wrap up the weekend Saturday (Sept. 9) with matches against Minnesota State (2 p.m.) and Cameron (6 p.m.). The Mavericks also went 2-0 on the day, while the Aggies split on day one. The first neutral site contest will begin once again at 10 a.m. featuring Minnesota State and New Mexico Highlands.
Fort Hays State 4, New Mexico Highlands 1 (25-22, 25-14, 18-25, 25-14)
Fort Hays State never trailed in its first set of the day, using several runs to build multiple leads of five and six points. Each time, however, the Cowgirls managed to claw back within one or two before the Tigers pulled away once again, with FHSU ultimately winning 25-22.
The second set was back-and-forth early on before the Tigers broke open an 11-11 tie with a 14-3 run, winning the frame 25-14 to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the set. Tinder stepped up big in the set, totaling five kills on eight attempts without recording an error, while both Ellis and Rains had four kills each in the set.
Highlands responded with an early jump in the third set and held on the entire way, winning 25-18 to force a fourth set. Fort Hays State used an early 9-2 run to take the lead for good in the final set en route to a 25-14, match-clinching win.
The Tigers managed a sizeable advantage in attack percentage, swinging at a .203 rate (56-29-133) compared to .132 for the Cowgirls (39-23-121). NMHU held an 11-6 edge in blocks, but the Tigers led 50-41 in digs and 6-4 in service aces.
Tinder contributed 15 kills, nine digs and two aces in the win, while Rains had 13 kills and one block. Ellis was second on the team with 14.0 points thanks to 12 kills and four block assists. Kirsten Evans also recorded two service aces, while libero Brooke Hyland paced the team with 12 digs.
Fort Hays State 3, Southern Nazarene 0 (25-23, 25-18, 25-16)
The Tigers and Crimson Storm were locked in a tight battle in the opening set, which included 10 ties and six lead changes, before the Tigers took control down the stretch. Fort Hays State posted an attack percentage of .267 (46-14-120), including individual set percentages that improved as the night wore on. The Tiger defense totaled eight blocks, helping limit SNU to a swing rate of .154 (33-15-117).
Fort Hays State trailed as late as 14-13 in the opening set before going on a 9-4 run to build a five-point advantage, 22-17. SNU stormed back to tie things up at 23, but a kill from Rains and a combo block from Rains and Ellis handed the Tigers a 25-23 win.
The second set was close early on before the Tigers closed things out with by scoring 12 of the last 17 points, turning a 13-13 tie into a 25-18 victory. The third was more of the same, with Fort Hays State outmuscling the Crimson Storm the entire way.
Rains led the team with 13 kills, including seven in the final set to seal the win. Tinder recorded a double-double with 11 kills and a team-high 19 digs while adding two blocks and one service ace. Ellis and Ashlyn Reeves each tallied four blocks, while Claire Olson and Rains chipped in three blocks each.