The Fort Hays State volleyball team dropped a tight 3-1 match to No. 4 Washburn in the MIAA Tournament on Tuesday in Topeka, ending the Tigers season. Fort Hays State finishes the 2012 season with a 23-14 record and 7-10 in the MIAA.

With the match tied at one set each, a tight third set was the turning point in the match. After falling behind 11-7, the Tigers slowly chipped away to a 12-12 tie. With the score tied at 18-18, FHSU pulled out to a 22-20 lead, however, WU closed to a 22-22 tie and the set was deadlocked at 23-23, 24-24, 25-25 and 26-26. The Tigers had a chance with set point at 27-26, but the Lady Blues stormed back to take the set 29-27 and an important 2-1 match lead.

The fourth set was close, and the Tigers trailed by one at 18-17 until the Lady Blues tallied five straight points. With a 23-17 advantage, WU closed out the match by the score of 25-19.

The home team came out in set one, and gained a 1-0 advantage. With a score of 19-19, the Lady Blues put down six of the next eight points to win 25-21.

FHSU evened the match at 1-1 with a set two win. Down 15-11, the Tigers went on a 9-0 run to go up 20-15 in the second set. The Lady Blues tried to close the gap, but FHSU scored two of the last three points to win 25-22.

Kayla Zoglman and Madison Schwartz finished with a double-doubles in the match. The senior Zoglman totaled 50 assists and 12 digs in her final match as a Tiger. Schwartz put down 17 kills and dug up 19 balls. Taylor Mares and Sara Hewson also hit double digits in kills with 16 and 10, respectively. Makenzie Wienman tallied a match-high 29 digs, and Tara Hoekman finished with 17 digs.

Washburn’s Marissa Cox led the Lady Blue attack with 27 kills and hit .641.

The Tigers finish the 2012 season with a 23-14 record. The 23 wins are the most wins since the 2004 season when FHSU went 31-5. A 7-10 record in the MIAA is the best conference record for the FHSU since joining the MIAA in 2006.

– FHSU Sports Information –