FHSU Athletics
HAYS, Kan. - The Fort Hays State volleyball team triumphed over Missouri Southern State in a five-set thriller Friday evening, winning 25-14, 17-25, 25-17, 24-26, 15-12. The Tigers improve to 12-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play after winning their ninth-straight match, while the Lions are now 6-6 on the year and 0-1 in MIAA action. The nine-match winning streak is the longest for the Tigers since 2016.
Fort Hays jumped out to a quick start, turning a 6-6 tie into a 15-8 lead thanks to a 9-2 run. Carsyn Cormaney contributed two kills and two blocks during the run, prompting a Lions timeout. The Tigers continued to add to their lead, posting an attack percentage of .312 in the 25-14 rout.
Missouri Southern punched back in the second set, using an 11-3 run to extend a one-point lead into a nine-point advantage, 19-10. Multiple kills from Ashlyn Reeves helped the Tigers close within six at 23-17, but the Lions finished things off with back-to-back kills to level the match.
The Lions scored four of the first five points to take an early lead in the third set before the Tigers went on a 9-3 run to take the lead for good. Two kills each from Gracie Rains and Caiya Stucky Reyes allowed FHSU to extend the lead to six, 20-14, before Reeves gave the Tigers a 2-1 lead in the match with the final kill of the frame.
After three convincing set victories, the fourth set was a tighter battle with neither side leading by more than four at any point. The Lions slowly pulled in front midway through the frame, going up by as many as four multiple times. Trailing 20-16, FHSU scored five of the next six points to tie the score at 21 thanks to three kills from Peyton Bergschneider and an Annie Eaton service ace.
MSSU battled back, eventually reaching set point at 24-22, before a service error and a Kirsten Evans service ace tied the score at 24. The visitors then scored the next two points, sending things to a fifth set.
There were eight ties and four lead changes in the final stanza, with neither side leading by more than two until the final point of the match. MSSU took a quick two-point lead at 3-1, but the Tigers soon grabbed the lead at 6-5. The visitors scored the next two points to jump back on top and led by two as late as 12-10 before Fort Hays State scored the final five points to secure the victory.
Reeves opened the rally with a kill before Bergschneider tied things up with her team-best 13th kill of the night. A pair of Lion errors gave the Tigers a serve at match point when Cormaney delivered the final kill to seal the win.
Cormaney finished the night with 10 kills and a team-best seven blocks, while Reyes managed seven kills, five blocks, 10 digs and 20 assists. Reeves and Rains contributed nine kills each, while Evans led the way with 24 digs.
The Tigers will wrap up homecoming weekend against Central Missouri on Saturday (Sept. 27) beginning at 1 p.m. inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.