FHSU Athletics
HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team picked up a four-set win over Newman Friday evening inside Gross Memorial Coliseum, emerging victorious 22-25, 25-14, 25-22, 27-25. The Tigers move to 11-9 on the year and 3-8 in MIAA play with the win, while Newman dips to 3-22 overall and 0-11 in conference action.
Neither side could gain much momentum in the first set that included 11 ties. FHSU scored the first four points before the Jets rallied to tie things up at 10-10. The teams went back and forth until Newman scored seven of the final nine points, going from 20-18 down to a 25-22 win.
The Tigers came alive on offense in the second set, posting a blistering attack percentage of .542 (15-2-24) to win in dominating fashion, 25-14. FHSU never trailed, scoring the first five points and never looking back. Two kills from Ashlyn Reeves and one from Tallon Rentschler soon built the lead to 8-1. The Jets slowly narrowed the gap, closing within four before another 8-1 Tiger run pushed the lead to 10, 21-11. A kill from Gracie Rains helped FHSU reach set point before a Taytum Lovesee solo block secured the big win.
The third set was another tight affair, featuring 11 ties and six lead changes. Neither side led by more than a point for the first 15 rallies before the Tigers methodically built their largest lead at 14-10. The Jets responded with a 7-1 run to soar in front, 17-15. Two kills from Claire Olson and another from Grace Schmedding helped the Tigers turn an 18-17 deficit into a 20-18 lead, prompting a Jet timeout. Newman managed to tie things up at 21 before Lovesee delivered a final kill to seal a 25-22 win.
The Jets led for much of the fourth set after scoring seven of the first 10 points. FHSU closed within one multiple times, but the visitors managed to build the lead back to four at 16-12. The Tigers later trailed 20-17 before scoring five in a row to take control. Newman then scored the next three to regain the lead, 23-22, before FHSU scored a pair on a Reeves kill and a block from Carsyn Cormaney and Rains to reach match point. The Jets fought off a pair of match points before Schmedding recorded a kill to seal the 27-25 victory.
Fort Hays State posted an attack percentage of .324 (57-12-139), its second-best outing of the year and the best against an MIAA opponent in 2024. The Tigers recorded 11 blocks compared to just three from the Jets.
Four Tigers reached double figures in kills, including Rains with 18, Schmedding and Reeves with 11 each and Olson with 10. Schmedding had a double-double with 11 digs, while Kirsten Evans paced the team with 17 digs. Caiya Stucky contributed 47 assists alongside four kills, five digs and two blocks. Reeves racked up six blocks, including two solo rejections.
UP NEXT
The Tigers will wrap up their 2024 home schedule on Saturday when they host Pittsburg State beginning at 2 p.m. The team will honor a pair of seniors in Claire Olson and Jessica Saunders after the match.