FHSU Athletics
TOPEKA, Kan. - The Fort Hays State volleyball team fell to No. 13 Washburn on the road Friday, losing 10-25, 13-25 and 21-25. The Tigers (10-5, 0-2 MIAA) finished with 19 kills while the Ichabods (11-2, 1-0 MIAA) hit .224.
The visitors put together a four-point response in the first set, getting a Mylie Brown kill, two Annie Eaton service aces and a block by Ella Goodwin and Carsyn Cormaney to move to 16-10. Washburn answered from there, scoring the final nine points to take the set 25-10.
The Ichabods again led wire-to-wire in the second, but Fort Hays State kept things close early thanks to a pair of Brown kills and a Cormaney service ace. Brown's second kill helped FHSU pull within 13-11, but a 12-2 WU run gave the home team a 25-13 win.
Fort Hays State bounced back in a back-and-forth third set that included 13 ties and six lead changes, taking its first lead of the night at 9-8. After leading by as many as two midway through the frame, 14-12, the Tigers later found themselves down 20-17. But four WU errors, including a pair of Ashlyn Reeves/Goodwin combo blocks, helped FHSU go back up 21-20.
The Ichabods scored the next two points to regain the lead before a controversial call went in favor of the home team. With the point initially awarded to WU, the Tigers made a successful challenge to overturn the point. But a subsequent challenge reversed the point back to Washburn. The 13th-ranked team in the country finished off a 5-0 run to end the match with a 25-21 win.
Brown and Bergschneider both totaled seven kills in the match, with Goodwin tallying three blocks.
The Tigers will open a five-match homestand next Friday (Sept. 25) when they host Pittsburg State beginning at 6 p.m.