FHSU Athletics
JOPLIN, Mo. - The Fort Hays State volleyball team picked up its second-consecutive sweep of a conference opponent Friday, defeating Missouri Southern in straight sets on the road, 25-17, 25-20, 25-20. The Tigers (8-10, 3-7 MIAA) picked up 10 total blocks and dropped in eight service aces while limiting the Lions (8-10, 3-6 MIAA) to a .122 attack percentage.
Fort Hays State took control early in the first set with an 8-0 run, turning a 7-6 deficit into a 14-7 lead. Riley Tinder got things going with three-straight kills before Emily Ellis and Caiya Stucky teamed up for a block, putting the Tigers up by three and forcing a Lion timeout. Brooke Hyland dropped in a pair of aces after the timeout, bookending kills from Ellis and Stucky that helped balloon the lead to seven. Back-to-back blocks, first from Stucky and Morgan Christiansen and then Tinder and Christiansen, pushed the lead as high as nine at 18-9 before FHSU finished off the 25-17 win on a Mykah Eshbaugh kill.
The Tigers led by as many as five early in the second, 10-5, before Missouri Southern battled back to tie the score at 14. The frame was tied as late as 18-18, but the Tigers wrapped up the set on a 7-2 run thanks to service aces from Ellis and Jaida Felix and one final kill from Christiansen.
Missouri Southern took its largest lead of the evening early in the third set, going up by as many as four before the Tigers battled back. Fort Hays State took first lead of the set at 14-13 in the midst of a 6-1 run that culminated in an 18-14 Tiger advantage. Ellis recorded a pair of kills and one block assist during the run. The Lions kept things close down the stretch, but could never get within any fewer than three points of the Tigers. Claire Olson secured the sweep with a kill on the last point of the match, giving the Tigers another 25-20 set win.
Eshbaugh took over in the third set, tallying seven of her team-high 12 kills in the final frame while recording zero errors on 13 swings. Tinder also reached double figures with 11 kills alongside seven digs, four blocks and one service ace. Ellis racked up eight kills, six blocks and two aces, while Jaden Daffer led the team with 16 digs. Felix tossed up 20 assists with Stucky adding 15 assists, four blocks and two kills.
The Tigers wrap up the weekend at Pittsburg State on Saturday (Oct. 8, 6 p.m.) before returning to Gross Memorial Coliseum to host No. 12 Washburn on Tuesday (Oct. 11, 6 p.m.).