FHSU Athletics
HAYS, Kan. - The Fort Hays State volleyball team swept Kansas Wesleyan on Tuesday inside Gross Memorial Coliseum, winning 25-21, 25-19 and 25-13. The Tigers (12-6, 1-3 MIAA) erased an early 9-3 deficit in the opening set with a 9-0 run to steal the momentum and take the lead for all but one point the rest of the night. FHSU finished with 47 kills and a .298 hitting percentage while adding a season-high 12 service aces.
After falling behind by as many as six early, the Tigers turned a 14-10 deficit into a 19-14 lead with nine straight points in the first set. Annie Eaton dropped in two of her career-high five service aces during the run, with Carsyn Cormaney adding two blocks and Mylie Brown and Ella Goodwin chipping in one each. Peyton Bergschneider later finished the set with a pair of kills for a 25-21 win.
FHSU never trailed in the second set, scoring the first four thanks to a Brown kill and two more Eaton aces. Goodwin soon added three more kills to push the lead to 9-2. KWU eventually closed within four at two occasions, 17-13 and 22-18, but an ace from Haylee Wolf and a kill from Regan Widener finished the set for a 25-19 Tigers win.
The Coyotes grabbed a quick 1-0 lead in the third set before five-straight from the Tigers put them on top for good. A pair of Cormaney kills and an ace from Hope Duncan helped put FHSU in front once and for all. Another 5-0 run on Eaton's serve later in the frame made it 18-10 before Kaitlyn Cure's ace brought things to match point. Playing in her first match of the season after battling back from injury, Avery Eshleman brought things to a close with her first kill of the year, sealing the 25-13 win.
Goodwin led FHSU with 15 kills while hitting .560 (15-1-25). Eaton recorded 34 assists, five service aces, nine digs and one solo block. Reeves added 10 kills on just 16 swings, posting a .563 hitting percentage while adding one block.
Up next, the Tigers volleyball team hosts Arkansas-Fort Smith on Friday (Oct. 2) beginning at 6 p.m.