FHSU Athletics
SHAWNEE, Okla. - The Fort Hays State volleyball team picked up a split on the first day of the GAC-MIAA Crossover Thursday, falling to 24th-ranked Oklahoma Baptist in four sets before sweeping Southern Nazarene in the nightcap. The Tigers are now 8-3 on the year, while the Bison are now 9-3 overall and the Crimson Storm move to 8-4.
FHSU will conclude the week against Ouachita Baptist (11 a.m.) and Southeastern Oklahoma State (4 p.m.) on Friday (Sept. 11) before returning home to open conference play next Wednesday (Sept. 16, 6 p.m.) against No. 7 Nebraska-Kearney.
#24 Oklahoma Baptist 3, Fort Hays State 1 (20-25, 21-25, 27-25, 13-25)
Fort Hays State lost to the nationally-ranked Bison in four sets in the first match of the day with set scores of 20-25, 21-25, 27-25 and 13-25. The Tigers picked up more kills than the Bison, 59-48, but a season-high 36 errors contributed to the loss.
Down 18-14 in the first set, the visitors rallied with four straight points to tie things up. A Regan Widener and Carsyn Cormaney block followed by a Mylie Brown kill from Sophie Sander evened the set at 18. Peyton Bergschneider later put down a kill to keep the Tigers within 21-20, but OBU scored the final four points to take the set 25-20.
In the second set, Fort Hays State turned an 11-10 deficit into a 12-11 lead on kills by Brown and Ella Goodwin, but the hosts answered with five straight points to go ahead 16-12. FHSU later got within 18-17 on a Cormaney kill before Oklahoma Baptist pulled away again, winning 25-21.
Fort Hays State rallied from a 16-7 deficit in the third set, scoring seven straight points to get back within 16-14 behind an Annie Eaton ace, three kills from Bergschneider and two from Sofia Ricci. The Bison responded to lead 20-15, but a 9-2 Tiger run helped FHSU reach set point on an Eaton kill. Cormaney and Delaney Gish both recorded aces during the run, with Brown adding three kills. OBU bounced back to tie the score at 24 and again at 25 before back-to-back Bergschneider kills sealed the 27-25 finish.
The Tigers pushed back from a 9-4 deficit in the fourth set to tie the score at 10, leveling the score on a Cormaney kill. However, Oklahoma Baptist surged ahead from there, holding FHSU to just three more points as the set ended 25-13.
Bergschneider led the way with 18 kills while hitting .333 (18-5-39). Brown added 15 kills, while Cormaney and Goodwin totaled eight kills each. Haylee Wolf recorded a team-high 24 digs and added three assists. Eaton finished with 34 assists, 12 digs and two service aces.
Fort Hays State 3, Southern Nazarene 0 (25-19, 30-28, 25-23)
Fort Hays State finished off the day with a sweep of Southern Nazarene, taking the sets 25-19, 30-28 and 25-23. The Tigers were outhit by the Crimson Storm, .325-.307, but seven service aces and a 54-47 edge in kills helped FHSU secure the win.
The Tigers trailed as late as 13-12 in the first set before a 4-1 run gave them the lead for good. SNU kept things close until four-straight Tiger points pushed the lead to 23-18. Carsyn Cormaney and Mylie Brown delivered kills during the run before an Annie Eaton service ace brought the set to a close.
The second set included 15 ties and six lead changes, with FHSU outlasting Southern Nazarene in extra points. Despite leading by as many as four early, the Tigers trailed as late as 25-24 but kills from Sofia Ricci and Ella Goodwin kept FHSU alive. The teams then traded points until Brown and Eaton secured back-to-back kills following a tie at 28.
In the third set, the Tigers overcame a 16-12 deficit, using kills from Ricci, Goodwin and Peyton Bergschneider plus a Hope Duncan ace to put the Black and Gold ahead 18-17. Brown accounted for FHSU's final four kills, completing the sweep with a 25-23 win.
Brown finished with 14 kills, one service ace and a team-high 15 points. Goodwin matched Brown with 14 kills while hitting .500 and added one block assist. Eaton recorded 28 assists, four service aces and five digs. Jaden Goldberg collected a team-high 10 digs and added two assists.