FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – It took a different road to get there, but the Fort Hays State University volleyball team ended with a familiar result Saturday afternoon at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Volleyball Invitational. The Tigers extended their season-opening winning streak to eight matches with a pair of victories, opening the day with a thrilling five-set victory over tournament host Westminster College (2-5) before outlasting Minot State (4-4) in four sets.
The Tigers were the only team to finish the tournament 4-0, leading the competition with a .242 hitting percentage on the weekend and 42 total blocks. FHSU is now 8-0 for the first time since 2003 (14-0) and for the sixth time in program history.
With one match yet to play, Rebekah Spainhour led all players in the tournament with a .378 attack percentage, 22 total blocks and 72.0 points while ranking second with 55 kills, five behind teammate Crystal Whitten.
The squad will return to action next weekend for four matches in Denver, Colo. The Tigers will open the weekend against Central Christian at 9 a.m. (CDT) on Friday (Sept. 16) before a 3 p.m. duel with Graceland. The tournament continues Saturday (Sept. 17) with a match against Haskell at 11 a.m. before wrapping up with tournament hosts Johnson & Wales at 7 p.m.
Fort Hays State 3, Westminster 2 (18-25, 28-26, 25-13, 19-25, 15-7)
In a matchup between the only teams to go 2-0 on Friday, the Tigers emerged victorious in a five-set duel against the Westminster Griffins. FHSU hit .200 for the match while holding the Griffins to a .127 attack percentage. The Tigers brought the match home with a blazing .389 hitting effort in the fifth set, recording nine kills to just two errors.
Senior Rebekah Spainhour matched her career record with 19 kills in the match, also leading the way with an unstoppable .415 attack percentage and seven total blocks (one solo). Crystal Whitten contributed 18 kills, two service aces and a team-high 21 digs. Setter Hannah Wagy tossed up a personal-best 61 assists for the third time in her career at FHSU, adding five total blocks (one solo) and seven digs. Callie Christensen turned in five block assists and five kills while Megan Anderson tallied 12 kills and three total blocks.
After taking the first set, 25-18, the Griffins scored the first point in the second set and seemed to be on the way to a two-set lead. But the Tigers kept things close, never falling behind by more than four, before finally taking the lead at 23-22 on a big block from Christensen and Spainhour. The Griffins managed three set points after taking the next two rallies, but two kills from Spainhour and a Westminster attack error kept the Tigers alive. After Spainhour returned serve to the Tigers at 26-26, back-to-back attacks from Whitten and Anderson leveled the match at one set apiece.
The Tigers found their groove in the third set, winning 25-13 after taking eight of the first 10 points in the frame. Spainhour extended the lead to 20-10 with a kill on a pass from Wagy after a solo block. Kailey Klibbe came in to serve for the final four points, recording one service ace before a block from Spainhour and Wagy made the score 23-13. Two Griffin attack errors put the Tigers within one set of victory.
The Griffins leveled the match after taking the fourth set, 25-19, with Westminster going on multiple five-point runs. The teams traded points to open the final frame before a kill from Spainhour returned serve to FHSU trailing 7-6. Klibbe then subbed in to serve, helping the Tigers score nine-straight points to win the match. Wagy and Spainhour combined for a block before each recorded a kill to extend the lead to 12-7. After a pair of Griffin attack errors, Whitten ended the match on a kill after a pass from Wagy.
Fort Hays State 3, Minot State 1 (21-25, 25-12, 25-15, 25-19)
The Tigers returned to the floor after a two-hour break and struggled to find a rhythm against Minot State. The Beavers kept the first set within reach before making their move late in the game, scoring five of the last six points to take the set, 25-21. But the momentum quickly shifted back to Fort Hays State, with the Tigers limiting MSU to just 12, 15 and 19 points in the final three sets, respectively.
The Tigers hit an eye-popping .314 for the match, including three sets with an attack percentage above .355 (2nd .357, 3rd .390, 4th .355). Just as impressive was the Tigers’ season-high 14 total blocks while the Beavers managed just three blocks in the match.
Rebekah Spainhour continued a tremendous day on the floor, hitting .480 with 14 kills compared to just two attack errors. The senior added four total blocks and one service ace. Callie Christensen tied a personal-best with nine total blocks, while Megan Anderson added eight blocks and 10 kills. Crystal Whitten led the team with 16 kills, adding eight digs and two blocks. Ari Jacobsen led the team with 16 kills with Hannah Wagy leading the way with 49 assists.
The Tigers quickly bounced back after dropping the opening set, jumping out to an 8-2 lead in the second frame. A pair of Whitten kills and service aces from Kailey Klibbe and Spainhour helped FHSU score nine of the final 10 points in the set to capture a dominating 25-12 victory.
The Tigers never trailed in the third set after a block from Anderson and Christensen set the tone on the first point. Three kills from Sydney Dixon gave FHSU a quick 5-2 lead before Whitten knocked down four kills in five points, extending the advantage to 13-5. The set was bookended with Anderson and Whitten going up for a block to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead in the match.
The fourth set belonged to Megan Anderson, who recorded six kills, zero attack errors and two blocks in the frame. Multiple kills from Anderson and Dixon alongside two blocks from Christensen and Anderson put the Tigers in front, 17-10. Later, Anderson gave the Tigers a shot at match point with a kill and ended the contest two rallies later with an attack on a pass from Wagy.