Fort Hays State University pushed its win streak to three with a sweep of its doubleheader with McPherson College on Monday night. The Tigers took both matches, 3-0, winning 25-15, 17-25, 25-23 in the first and 25-16, 25-11, 25-14 in the second.
FHSU improves to 3-9 (1-4 MIAA) while MC drops to 10-11 (2-4 KCAC)
FHSU’s kill leaders for the night were Jenna Ulrich and Samantha Ledy, each with 10. Additionally, Haley Corkill and Mallory Flagor had nine, while Sara Hewson, Rachel Szczepanski and Madison Schwartz tied for third on the team with eight.
The Tigers were relatively even in assists, as Kelsey Broadwell had 30 on the night, followed by Libby Ary’s 21 and Raegan Vanderplas’ 19.
Defensively, Ulrich showed prowess at the net, leading the team with 10 blocks (two solo). Flagor, Mares and Ledy each had three total blocks.
In the back row, FHSU again was spread evenly in digs, as Chelsea Payne had 16, Hewson had 15, Keanu Bradley added 14 and libero Makenzie Weinman notched 13.
The Tigers start a six-game road trip this Friday, Oct. 4 at Washburn in Topeka, Kan. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Match One
FHSU never trailed in the first set, as Corkill started the night with a kill to push the Tigers up, 1-0. From there, FHSU would go on a 7-3 run to lead by five. Though MC would eventually come within three (11-8), the Tigers rolled from there, record three different 3-0 runs to take the set, 25-15.
The Tigers would fall behind, 2-0 in the second set, but roar back to take an 11-6 advantage. FHSU continued to pull away, two points at a time, until 22-17, when kills by Kylee Pywell and Lacie Shoemaker set he tone for a 25-17 win.
After intermission, FHSU would again fall behind, this time 3-0, to start the set. Slowly, though, the Tigers would build back to a tie, at 17-17, and take the lead for good on a Camille Hubert kill. MC would climb back to within one, 24-23, but Hubert’s fifth kill of the set sealed the match, 25-23.
Corkill and Szczepanski each had eight kills in the first match of the night, while Broadwell tacked on 30 assists. Defensively, Payne had 13 digs and Shoemaker and Ledy each had two block assists.
Match Two
Coming off a strong performance in the first match, the Tigers battled in the first set until 9-9, when a four point FHSU run put FHSU in the lead for good. At 15-13, Taylor Mares’ kill started a five-point stretch of unanswered points for the Tigers, helping the team close out a 25-16 win in the first set.
Set two watched the Tigers grab an early 5-1 lead and never look back, using two separate spurts of six and five unanswered points as part of a larger 11-1 run to pull away. FHSU closed the match with a 3-0 run to win, 25-11.
In the final set of the night, the Tigers roared out to an 8-0 lead, sparked by two service aces for Hewson and kills by Schwartz, Ulrich and Mares. Leading 13-8, FHSU would again erupt, scoring seven unanswered points before taking the set, and match, 25-14.
— FHSU Sports Information —