FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team came up on the losing end Friday evening against 15th-ranked Central Missouri, falling in straight sets. The Tigers are now 20-7 on the year and 6-6 in MIAA play, while the Jennies improve to 16-6 and 6-4 in conference action.
After the Tigers scored the first three points in the match, UCM grabbed the lead by going on a 9-3 run. Back-to-back kills from Crystal Whitten followed by a block from Whitten and Rebekah Spainhour helped the Tigers tie the score at 11, but the Jennies answered by taking the next three points. The Jennies later scored nine out of 12 after the Tigers had leveled the set at 15 to reach set point, 24-18. The back-and-forth set wasn’t over yet, as Fort Hays State strung together six-straight points to tie things up once again. UCM put the set on ice by taking the next two points on a kill and a block. The Jennies followed that up with a dominating performance in the second set, leading wire-to-wire to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Tigers had their best chance to take a set out of the locker room, managing two set point opportunities after leading much of the way in the third. The teams traded blows through the majority of the set, with neither team leading by more than two until late in the game. With the score tied at 18, FHSU went on a 5-1 run to open up a 23-19 lead. The Jennies answered with four-straight to tie the score once more, but a kill from Megan Anderson gave the Tigers a serve for the set. The Jennies again answered the call before Anderson once again handed FHSU a serve at set point. UCM completed the comeback by stealing the next three points, winning 27-25.
Whitten led the team with 12 kills, adding seven digs and one block. Anderson contributed 11 kills to just two attack errors, good for a .429 hitting percentage. Spainhour posted a team-high five blocks, adding seven kills and one service ace. Hannah Wagy contributed 36 assists and two service aces, while Kailey Klibbe led the way defensively with 17 digs.
Fort Hays State hit an efficient .228 for the match, but UCM countered with an impressive .310 effort. The Tigers managed two more blocks (5-3), but were outmatched in nearly every other category for on the night.
The Tigers will return to the floor next weekend when they wrap up their home schedule with a pair of MIAA matches. Fort Hays State will open the weekend against Southwest Baptist on Saturday, October 29 at 6:30 p.m.