FHSU Athletics
EDMOND, Okla. - The Fort Hays State volleyball team captured the first two sets against No. 19 Central Oklahoma on Saturday before the Bronchos rallied to win in five sets, 27-25, 25-22, 16-25, 26-28, 9-15. The Tigers (10-12, 5-9 MIAA) recorded season highs with 99 digs, 63 kills and 59 assists, but Central Oklahoma (20-3, 10-3 MIAA) did just enough late to complete the comeback.
The match was back-and-forth all afternoon, featuring 52 ties and 23 lead changes. Neither side led by more than three in the first set, with the teams trading points throughout the frame. The Tigers fought off a UCO match point with a Morgan Christiansen kill before the senior middle hitter gave FHSU its own set point opportunity at 25-24. The Bronchos responded with a kill, forcing the 17th tie of the set, before Claire Olson tallied back-to-back kills to give the Tigers the 27-25 win.
Both sides traded points early in the second set before Central Oklahoma started to pull away, leading by as many as eight at 18-10. Down by seven later in the set, 20-13, Fort Hays State finished the set on a 12-2 run to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the match. The Tigers scored seven in a row to tie things up at 20, including three kills from Mykah Eshbaugh, one from Olson, one from Emily Ellis and one Kirsten Evans service ace. UCO later tied things up again at 22 before kills from Riley Tinder and Christiansen and a Broncho error handed FHSU the 25-22 win.
The third set was close early on, with the Tigers trailing by one as late as 13-12 before Central Oklahoma pulled away to extend the match with a 25-16 win. Fort Hays State had two match points in the fourth frame that included 15 ties and nine lead changes, but Central Oklahoma managed to fight back and force a fifth set with a 28-26 win. UCO led by as many as four early on, 12-8, before the Tigers tied things up at 14 with a 6-2 run. Neither side led by more than two after that point, with UCO ultimately reaching set point following a Tiger error. Christiansen kept the Tigers alive with a kill before a Broncho error helped the Tigers reach match point, 25-24. UCO hung around with a kill before an Ellis kill gave FHSU another chance to finish things off, but the Bronchos scored the next three points to force a fifth set.
The Tigers led for much of the fifth set, going up by as many as three, 9-6, following an Ellis service ace. But the Bronchos fought back by scoring the next nine points, finishing off the comeback with a 9-0 run to take the fifth set, 15-9.
Four Tigers reached double figures in kills, led by 16 from Christiansen, 15 from Tinder, 13 from Eshbaugh and 11 from Olson. Tinder added 15 digs for her ninth double-double on the year, while Christiansen and Olson each had six block assists to lead the Tigers. Caiya Stucky led the Tigers with a season-high 29 assists while adding three kills and one block. Jaida Felix picked up her fourth double-double with 21 assists and 13 digs.
Jaden Daffer led the Tigers with 31 digs, the most by a Tiger in nearly three years (Abbie Hayes, 31 digs vs UCO, 11/1/19). Fort Hays State tallied a .203 attack percentage, while UCO countered with a swing rate of .233.
The Tigers will return to Gross Memorial Coliseum for five of their final six regular season contests, including three in a row beginning Friday (Oct. 21) against Missouri Western beginning at 6 p.m. Fort Hays State currently sits in seventh place in the MIAA standings with three weeks remaining in the regular season, including matches against both teams just behind the Tigers in a tie for eighth in Missouri Southern and Missouri Western.