Fort Hays State University won its third match in a row with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-23) victory over Stephens College on Thursday in Columbia, Mo.

The Tigers improve to 6-11 (1-6 MIAA) while the SC drops to 3-15 (0-4 AMC).

Jenna Ulrich’s 11 kills and five blocks were team-highs, as Mallory Flagor and Madison Schwartz added nine kills. Raegan Vanderplas had 18 assists and six digs in the match. Chelsea Payne led the team with nine digs, while Makenzie Weinman and Schwartz had eight.

FHSU jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first set and never looked back.  The team lead by as many as 10 and clinched the set, 25-19.

Libby Ary led the team with 11 assists in the first frame, followed by Kelsey Broadwell’s nine. Flagor and Taylor Mares each had five kills as FHSU took a 1-0 lead in the match.

Down three in the second set (11-8), FHSU rattled off a quick three-point rally to tie it up.  Down 13-14, FHSU pulled away with eight-unanswered points to lead, 21-14.  The Tigers won the set, 25-17.

Schwartz led the way in the second set with six kills, while Vanderplas and Ary had four and five assists, respectively.  Ulrich added three block assists in the effort.

Tied 5-5 in the final stanza, a kill by Rachel Szczepanski sparked a 7-3 spurt for the Tigers to give them a 13-8 lead.  Ulrich had a kill and a solo block during that span.  SC would recover with a 7-2 run to regain the lead, 19-18.  Out of a timeout, FHSU regained control, and took the set, 25-23, on Tara Hoekman’s third kill of the night.

The Tigers travel to St. Charles, Mo., on Friday for a MIAA matchup with Lindenwood at 7 p.m.  The Tigers will be looking for their 900th win in program history while head coach Kurt Kohler chases career win No. 150.

— FHSU Sports Information —