FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
LAKEWOOD, Colo. – Fort Hays State had its poorest offensive effort of the season on Tuesday evening (Sept. 27), which led to a 3-0 loss at Colorado Christian in non-conference play. The Tigers hit a season-low .099 for the match and now sit at 13-3 overall on the season.
Struggles late in the first set and a collapse midway through the second haunted the Tigers in a match where they could have easily led by two sets. FHSU led 22-20 in the first set, but three attacking errors allowed CCU to escape with the set. Two of the errors back-to-back pushed CCU into the lead 23-22, then another on the final point handed CCU the set 25-23.
The Tigers looked well on their way to leveling the match in the second, building a 12-6 lead, but six attacking errors in a matter of seven plays turned a 13-10 FHSU lead into a 16-14 CCU advantage. The Tigers reeled off four straight kills to take the lead back 18-16, but could not keep the positive vibes rolling as three consecutive errors handed the lead right back to CCU, 20-18. Though the Tigers tied the score twice late, CCU took the set with kills on three of the set’s final four points.
The struggles continued in the third set as Colorado Christian never trailed. The Tigers fought uphill to tie the set three times, the latest occurrence at 15-15, but CCU held off the Tigers to improve to 9-5 overall on the season. It was the first match this season the Tigers did to win a set and also the first non-conference loss of the season for FHSU.
Rebekah Spainhour was the only Tiger, other than setter Hannah Wagy, to hit above .200 for the evening. She finished at .400 for the match, producing nine kills on 20 swings with just one error. Wagy hit .500 with four kills on eight attacks. But the rest of the team combined for 28 attacking errors. Crystal Whitten had a team-high 10 kills, Wagy had 34 assists, and Kailey Klibbe led in digs with 22. Spainhour had a team-best four blocks.
Colorado Christian hit just .198 as a team, but won with tremendous effort on several scrambling plays. The Cougars found ways to keep several balls alive, frustrating the Tiger offense by repeatedly scoring points out of chaos. Sophia Proano led CCU in kills with 12, hitting .312 for the match. Angela Jurek added eight kills and hit .500. Kylee Wurster had 31 assists and Mariela Gonzalez had a team-best 22 digs for CCU.
The Tigers look to shake off the rough evening when they return to MIAA play hosting No. 6 ranked Central Missouri on Friday night (Sept. 30) in Hays. They also host Lindenwood on Saturday evening at 6:30 pm.