FHSU Athletics
DENTON, Texas - The Fort Hays State volleyball team turned in a 1-1 record on Friday's day one of the Denton Volleyfest (Sept. 2). The Tigers opened the weekend with a 3-0 sweep of East Central before falling in four tough sets against tournament-host Texas Woman's.
Riley Tinder recorded 25 kills on the day, with Jaden Daffer pacing the squad with 30 digs across the two matches. Jaida Felix dished out 42 assists across the seven sets, averaging right at 6.0 assists per frame on the day.
Fort Hays State will wrap up a quick non-conference schedule Saturday (Sept. 3) when the Tigers face off with Ouachita Baptist at 1 p.m. and Northwestern Oklahoma State at 7 p.m.
Fort Hays State 3, East Central 0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-19)
Fort Hays State took care of business in the opener, easily dispatching of East Central in straight sets. The black and gold Tigers recorded an attack percentage of .198 while holding the orange and black Tigers to a swing rate of .061. FHSU averaged more than three aces and three blocks in each set, compiling 11 aces and 10 blocks in the contest.
Multiple big FHSU runs helped the Tigers start to pull away in the opening set, leading by as many as eight, 19-11. But East Central battled back with six points in a row to close within two, 20-18, before trimming the deficit to just one at 23-22. Fort Hays State responded by scoring the next two points to secure the win thanks to a kill from Gracie Rains and a Jaida Felix service ace.
The teams battled back-and-forth for the duration of the second set, with neither team leading by more than three until a furious FHSU rally late in the frame. Trailing 19-17, the Tigers scored seven consecutive points go up by five. Mykah Eshbaugh opened the run with a kill before Riley Tinder tied things up with a solo block. Jaden Daffer followed with a service ace before another Tinder block doubled the lead. Daffer later added another service ace before an Eshbaugh block helped the Tigers reach set point. Emily Ellis finished things off with a kill two rallies later, giving FHSU a 2-0 lead.
Both sides went on established runs in the third set, with Fort Hays State scoring three or more in a row four times and East Central doing so twice. FHSU did much of its damage from behind the service line, with the Tigers combining for five service aces in the frame. ECU scored four in a row to tie the score at nine before FHSU went in front for good with a run of five-straight points. Another Felix service ace put a bow on the sweep, capping off a 25-19 FHSU win.
Felix was credited with seven service aces in the win, tied for the second-most by a Tiger during the rally scoring era (2001-present). She also led the team with 15 assists and added six digs. Tinder paced the team with 12 kills and added seven digs, while Daffer totaled eight digs and four service aces.
Texas Woman's 3, Fort Hays State 1 (19-25, 23-25, 25-21, 24-26)
The Tigers shook off a slow start to nearly force a deciding fifth set against Texas Woman's University, but the Pioneers rallied late to win in four sets. Fort Hays State kept things close in the first set, but a 7-1 run late in the stanza helped the home team come out on top 25-19.
Fort Hays State made a furious comeback in the second set, trailing 19-11 before coming back to tie things up at 20. Emily Ellis opened the run with a kill before teaming up with Caiya Stucky for a block. Stucky buried a kill two serves later before adding another block, this time beside Morgan Christiansen. Riley Tinder chipped in two kills later in the rally, while Stucky added one more and Emily Ellis dropped in a service ace. The score remained tied as late as 22-22 before the Pioneers rebounded to go up 2-0, 25-23.
The teams traded punches again in the third set, with Fort Hays State getting in the final blow with six-straight points to seal the 25-21 victory. TWU led the majority of the way, but three Tiger kills, one service ace and a pair of Pioneer miscues helped the Tigers grab the win.
Fort Hays State saved its best offense for last, with the Tigers combining for an attack percentage of .333 in the final set thanks to 16 kills and just two errors. The defense, meanwhile, held TWU to a swing rate of .233 in the final frame, including six errors.
The Tigers led the way in blocks, totaling 10 compared to just eight for TWU.