FHSU Athletics
HAYS, Kan. - The Fort Hays State volleyball team came up on the losing end of a match for the first time in three weeks and just the second time this season on Saturday, losing to Central Missouri 25-20, 25-20, 25-20. The Tigers are now 12-2 overall and 1-1 in league play, while the Jennies move to 8-3 on the year and 1-1 in MIAA action.
Central Missouri scored six of the first seven points to take an early lead, but the Tigers mounted a response with a kills by Gracie Rains, Peyton Bergschneider and Carsyn Cormaney to narrow the gap to 7-6. The Jennies bounced back to push the lead back to six before a pair of service aces from Kirsten Evans brought the Tigers within two at 18-16. The visitors regained the momentum from there, outscoring the Tigers 7-4 down the stretch to win 25-20.
The second set was close throughout, highlighted by 10 ties and four lead changes. Neither side led by more than two for much of the stanza, with FHSU leading as late as 14-13. The Jennies later scored three in a row to push their lead to four at 20-16, prompting a Tiger timeout. FHSU was unable to mount a comeback, again falling 25-20 to go down in the match 2-0.
Central Missouri never trailed in the third set, scoring the first three points and never looking back. After trailing by as many as six at 14-8, the Black and Gold scored seven of the next 10 to pull within two thanks three kills from Ella Goodwin. UCM bounced back after that rally, turning the 17-15 lead into a 25-20 win after outpacing the Tigers 8-5 down the stretch.
Caiya Stucky Reyes led the Tigers with 10 kills without an error on 17 attempts, achieving a hitting percentage of .588. Bergschneider contributed significantly with nine kills and added a team-best 12 digs. Goodwin finished with eight kills and one block assist, while Abrey Galt and Annie Eaton tied for the lead with 19 assists each. Evans matched Bergschneider with 12 digs while adding a pair of service aces. A trio of Jennies tied for a match-high 11 kills, including Rachel Ziesman, Kaelyn McDonald and Shaye Koski.
The Tigers will be on the road for the next two weeks starting Friday (Oct. 3) when FHSU takes on Northwest Missouri State in Maryville, Mo. beginning at 6 p.m. FHSU's next home match is set for Friday, October 17 when the Tigers host second-ranked Central Oklahoma beginning at 6 p.m.