FHSU Athletics
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - The Fort Hays State volleyball team opened the 2026 MIAA in-season tournament with a big 3-1 over No. 15 Washburn inside MWSU Fieldhouse Friday, winning 25-15, 20-25, 25-18 and 25-22. FHSU (15-8) hit .275 for the match while limiting the Ichabods (19-5) to an attack percentage of .141, their third-lowest outing of the season.
The win is FHSU's first against the Ichabods since beating 25th-ranked Washburn nearly three years ago (10/24/23). It snaps both a five-game losing streak against WU and a 17-game losing streak against AVCA nationally ranked teams. The Tigers are now 6-1 in neutral-site contests this season.
The Tigers never trailed in the first set, swinging at a blistering .485 rate (19-3-33) while siding out at an 80 percent rate (12-of-15). Ella Goodwin and Carsyn Cormaney combined to score the first four points, including two Goodwin kills, a combo block and a Cormaney kill. From a 10-6 score, FHSU added another four-point run on Haylee Wolf's serve, with Mylie Brown supplying two kills around a Cormaney/Annie Eaton block and an Eaton kill. The Tigers closed the set at 25-15 on another Goodwin kill from Eaton.
FHSU rallied from a 17-14 deficit in the second set with a four-point push to move ahead 18-17, using a Peyton Bergschneider-Ashlyn Reeves block, a Delaney Gish service ace and back-to-back Bergschneider kills assisted by Eaton. Washburn responded with the next four points, and the Tigers could not close the gap in a 25-20 loss.
The Tigers took control of the third set after trailing 13-10, with Gish serving consecutive aces to tie it at 13-13 and put FHSU ahead 14-13. FHSU later scored six straight points to build a 21-14 lead, including two kills from Brown. After WU closed within 22-18, a pair of Eaton service aces closed out the set 25-18.
FHSU scored the first three points in the fourth set to never trail, despite WU rallying to tie things up seven different times. The Tigers answered Washburn's 22-22 tie by taking the final three points on a Cormaney kill, an Eaton ace and an Ichabod error.
Goodwin led FHSU with 14 kills while hitting .393. Brown added 13 kills, with Bergschneider adding 10 alongside four blocks. Cormaney tallied nine kills and a swing rate of .533, while Reeves posted a team-high five blocks and added five kills. Eaton recorded 42 assists, 12 digs, three service aces and five kills. Wolf finished with a team-high 19 digs and added five assists.
The Tigers finished with advantages in kills (56-43), assists (52-43), digs (61-51), blocks (7-6) and total points (71.0-58.0).
The Tigers will wrap up the weekend in St. Joseph on Saturday (Oct. 17) when they take on No. 8 Missouri Western beginning at 2 p.m.