BETHANY, Okla. - The Fort Hays State volleyball team picked up a pair of wins Saturday (Sept. 16) to wrap up the MIAA/GAC Crossover with a 3-1 record. The Tigers improved to 8-6 on the year, while the Bison are now 6-7 after a Saturday split and the Crimson Storm dipped to 5-6 after losing two matches to wrap up the weekend.
 
Fort Hays State 3, Oklahoma Baptist 0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-19)
Fort Hays State opened the day in a strong way, cruising past Oklahoma Baptist in straight sets. The Tigers compiled a .238 hitting percentage in the win, while holding OBU to a .095 swing rate.
 
Magan Alexander and Logan Wallick each picked up 10 kills for FHSU, with Wallick and Callie Christensen both adding three blocks.
 
The Tigers controlled the majority of the first set, never trailing by more than one point. FHSU built a 23-19 lead after two kills from Kylie Rollman, but the Bison scored four of the next five to close within one. Taylor White recorded a kill to end the Bison run and give the Tigers a 25-23 win in the first set.
 
Oklahoma Baptist took the reins early in the second set, jumping out to a quick 6-1 lead. Trailing 10-6, the Tigers went on a 5-0 run to take their first lead of the frame. FHSU later scored six-straight points, including three kills from Wallick, to take a commanding 19-13 lead. The Tigers held onto the lead for the rest of the set, never allowing the Bison any closer than four points down. Rollman ended the set at 25-19 with a strong kill.
 
After both sides traded points to open the third frame, OBU scored six consecutive points to take a 15-10 lead. The Tigers responded in a big way, scoring the next 13 points to take a commanding 23-15 lead. Fort Hays State held on to seal the match six points later on a kill from Christensen.
 
Fort Hays State 3, Southern Nazarene 1 (24-26, 26-24, 25-23, 25-19)
The Tigers wrapped up the weekend with a come-from-behind victory over tournament-host Southern Nazarene. The Crimson Storm captured the first set, but FHSU rallied to take the next three frames and win the match.
 
Kylie Rollman picked up 15 kills to lead the Tigers, with Logan Wallick (11 kills) and Callie Christensen (10 kills) also reaching double figures. Amirah Bentley tossed up 43 assists in the victory, while Taylor White paced the team with a season-high 31 digs.
 
The Crimson Storm picked up one more kill than the Tigers in the match (57-56), but the Tigers took advantage of 29 SNU errors. Fort Hays State finished with a .195 attack percentage, holding the Crimson Storm to a .148 swing percentage.
 
The first set was competitive from the start, with neither side leading by more than two points at any point. The Tigers were first to reach set point, 24-23, after a pair of errors by the Crimson Storm, but SNU rallied after a timeout to score the next three points and steal the set, 26-24.
 
The Tigers responded by scoring five of the first six points in the second frame, but SNU bounced back to retake the lead at 9-8. Neither side was able to put together a run for the remainder of the set, with neither team leading by more than two. The Crimson Storm rallied to move one point away from taking a commanding 2-0 lead in the match, 24-23, but the Tigers pulled off the same three-point run SNU used in the first set to even the match, 26-24.
 
The Tigers never trailed in the third set, taking a quick 6-2 lead after a block from Christensen and Bentley. Fort Hays State later scored four in a row to pad the lead to 10-3. The Tigers held onto the lead for the rest of the set, ultimately reaching set point 24-20. The Crimson Storm appeared to have another rally in store, picking up the next three points to close within 24-23. Fort Hays State was able to right the ship after interim head coach Brandi Fairbank called a timeout, with Wallick throwing down a kill on a pass from Kailey Klibbe.
 
The Crimson Storm jumped out to an early lead in the fourth frame, but an 8-3 run allowed the Tigers to take the lead once and for all, 14-12. Fort Hays State later scored five-straight points to stretch the lead to 22-17 before Rollman ended the match with her 15th kill of the match.