FHSU Athletics
HAYS, Kan. - The Fort Hays State volleyball team opened the 2025 season with a pair of victories Friday at the Tiger Invitational, defeating Cameron in straight sets before taking down Arkansas Tech in four frames. The Tigers start the year 2-0, while both opponents went 0-2 on the day inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.
Grace Schmedding led the squad with 26 kills across the seven frames, averaging 4.33 per set. Ashlyn Reeves added 20 kills and four blocks, while Abrey Galt paced the team with 47 assists.
The Tigers will wrap up the Tiger Invitational with two more matches on Saturday (Sept. 6), including a 2 p.m. date with Kansas Wesleyan before concluding the weekend at 7 p.m. against Rockhurst.
Fort Hays State 3, Cameron 0
The Tigers opened the day with an efficient sweep of Cameron that took all of 73 minutes, 25-18, 25-17, 25-16. The Tigers dominated offensively with a .306 hitting percentage and tallied six service aces. Cameron struggled to keep pace, hitting just .146 for the match. The Tigers did not trail in the match, with the Aggies managing just one tie at 10-10 in the second set.
Fort Hays State opened the first set with a commanding 4-0 run, highlighted by two kills from Grace Schmedding, both assisted by Abrey Galt. Ashlyn Reeves later contributed a service ace at 13-11 and a subsequent kill, extending the advantage. Ella Goodwin capped off the 25-18 victory with a kill off a pass from Galt.
After distributing 13 assists in the opening frame, Galt matched that effort with 13 more assists in the second set. The Tigers used an 8-2 run midway through the frame to take control thanks in part to a pair of combo blocks from Reeves and Galt and Reeves and Peyton Bergschneider.
Six kills from Schmedding and three from Carsyn Cormaney helped the Tigers pull away in the final set, ultimately securing the 25-16 win with a service ace by Kirsten Evans.
Galt recorded 32 assists and added six kills on eight attempts, while Schmedding led the team with nine kills. Bergschneider and Reeves each delivered eight kills, with Reeves adding two blocks and two service aces. Evans anchored the defense with 11 digs across three sets, while also contributing three assists. Haley Beggs led the Aggies with seven kills, while Jennifer Valdez had three blocks in the loss.
Fort Hays State 3, Arkansas Tech 1
After dropping the first set 25-22, Fort Hays State rallied to take the next three sets 28-26, 25-15, 25-18. The turning point came in set two when the Tigers rallied for close win, shifting the momentum in their favor. They recorded 61 kills and 85 digs on the night, compared to 52 kills and 78 digs for the Golden Suns.
The Tigers never led in the opening frame, falling behind by as many as eight points. FHSU was able to rally within two by the end of the set, but a kill allowed the visitors to take the opener 25-22.
Arkansas Tech continued to control things early in the second set, leading for much of the way. FHSU took its first lead of the match at 18-17, but the Golden Suns rallied back to reach set point at 24-21. Grace Schmedding kept the Tigers alive with a kill before a pair of ATU errors tied the score at 24. FHSU fought off another set point at 25-24 before kills from Ella Goodwin and Peyton Bergschneider leveled the match with a 28-26 win.
The Tiger defense came alive in the third set, racking up five blocks while limiting Arkansas Tech to an attack percentage of .020. Four kills from Schmedding and an Annie Eaton service ace helped the home team cruise to a 25-15 victory, putting the Tigers in front 2-1.
Fort Hays State scored seven-straight points to take control of the fourth set, turning a 5-4 deficit into an 11-5 lead. The Tigers continued to add to their lead, going up by as many as eight points before taking the frame 25-18.
Schmedding led Fort Hays State with 17 kills and 18 digs, contributing a total of 18 points. Reeves added 12 kills and two block assists, while Eaton recorded a team-high 19 assists and three service aces. Reeves also reached double figures with 12 kills, while Bergschneider added nine kills and 12 digs. Erika Hernandez led Arkansas Tech with nine kills and two total blocks over the match.