FHSU Athletics
WICHITA, Kan. - The Fort Hays State volleyball team used a well-balanced attack to defeat the Newman in four close sets on Friday, completing the season sweep of the Jets. All four frames were decided by three or fewer points, with the Tigers (10-11, 5-8 MIAA) coming out on top 26-24, 25-23, 22-25, 26-24.
The Tigers led by as many as six midway through the first set, 15-9, before Newman (7-15, 2-10 MIAA) rallied to tie things up at 15. FHSU bounced back to go back up by three, but the Jets managed to storm in front with a four-point rally. The Tigers took a timeout down 21-20 before a Riley Tinder kill tied things up at 21. Newman followed with three-straight kills to reach set point, but the Tigers responded with a pair of Tinder kills and a block from Morgan Christiansen and Claire Olson to tie things up at 24. Tinder finished things off with her sixth kill of the set two points later.
Newman jumped in front by four early in the second set before the Tigers slowly chipped away at the lead. Fort Hays State fought its way in front, 19-18, after an Olson kill before the Jets scored the next two points to go back up by one. A Tinder kill and a Newman miscue put the Tigers ahead before the teams traded points to a 23-23 tie. Fort Hays State proceeded to finish things off with back-to-back kills from Emily Ellis and Tinder.
The Tigers seemed poised to complete the sweep after pulling in front by four early in the third set, 11-7. Newman had other plans, however, scoring 11 of the next 12 points to take a six-point lead, 18-12. The Tigers managed to pull within three on four occasions, down the stretch, but the Jet defense would not allow FHSU any closer.
Despite the narrow margin of victory in the final set, the Tigers never trailed across the entire fourth frame. Fort Hays State led by as many as four at five different points during the set, but Newman managed to keep things close the entire time. Consecutive kills from Christiansen followed a Tinder strike, giving FHSU a 10-6 lead early on before the Jets rallied to tie things up at 13. Aces from Kirsten Evans and Ellis helped the Tigers score six of the next eight points, giving FHSU a 19-15 advantage. Back-to-back kills from Olson later gave the Tigers a 23-19 edge, but Newman once again fought back to tie things up at 24. Ellis gave the Tigers a chance at match point with a kill before a Newman error brought the match to a close.
Three Tigers reached double figures in kills, led by Tinder with 16, Olson with 14 and Mykah Eshbaugh with 13. Ellis nearly reached double digits with nine kills, while Christiansen added six kills and two blocks. Jaida Felix distributed 25 assists and added 12 digs for her third double-double of the year, while Caiya Stucky dished out a season-best 24 assists.
Jaden Daffer led the Tigers with 25 digs, including 12 in the first set alone. It was her seventh outing with at least 20 digs this season. The libero also dropped in three of FHSU's six service aces. Tinder added 17 digs for her eighth double-double on the year.
The Tigers were outhit by the Jets, .230-.183. Newman also topped the Tigers in both blocks, 9-2, and digs, 93-88, but the biggest difference on the stat sheet ended up being seven ball handling errors on Newman to zero on the Tigers.
Fort Hays State will wrap up the road trip Saturday when the Tigers take on No. 19 Central Oklahoma beginning at 6 p.m. in Edmond, Okla.