HAYS, Kan. - The Fort Hays State volleyball team took 17th-ranked Emporia State to four sets on Saturday (Sept. 26) before falling to the Hornets 3-1, losing 22-25, 24-26, 25-21 and 16-25. Fort Hays State (11-6, 1-3 MIAA) finished with 57 kills and hit .193, while Emporia State (14-2, 2-1 MIAA) totaled 67 kills at a .261 clip. FHSU matched Emporia State with 74 digs, but Emporia State held a 12-6 advantage in total blocks.
After falling behind 20-15 in the first set, a 7-2 rally helped the Tigers pull within 22-20 thanks to kills from
Mylie Brown,
Carsyn Cormaney and
Ella Goodwin. Another Goodwin kill and an
Ashlyn Reeves/
Annie Eaton combo block allowed the Tigers to pull within 23-22, but Emporia State scored the final two points to take the set by three.
An efficient offensive attack helped FHSU build an 11-6 lead early in the second set, but the Hornets rallied for a 9-1 run out of a timeout to pull in front, 15-12. The Tigers later trailed by as many as four, 20-16, but responded with an 8-3 run to reach set point. A
Haylee Wolf service ace and an Eaton block put the Tigers up 24-23, but three-straight Emporia State kills put the visitors in front 2-0.
The Tigers were able to pull away late in the third set, with FHSU turning a 15-14 edge into a 23-16 lead thanks to an 8-3 run. Cormaney supplied three kills during the stretch before Eaton added another service ace. Emporia State bounced back with four in a row to pull within three before a Reeves kill extended the match.
The Tigers stayed even early at 5-5 behind kills from Cormaney, Goodwin, and Reeves, but Emporia State answered with eight of the next nine points to put FHSU behind 13-6. FHSU later got back-to-back kills from Reeves and Cormaney to make it 17-14, but Emporia State scored the next five points and later took the set 25-16.
Goodwin led FHSU with 15 kills and added eight digs. Reeves finished with 14 kills and three blocks while hitting .407. Wolf collected 21 digs and added three assists. Eaton recorded 48 assists, 15 digs, four blocks and two kills
FHSU's five-match homestand will continue Tuesday (Sept. 29) when the Tigers host Kansas Wesleyan beginning at 6 p.m. inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.
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