PUEBLO, Colo. - The Fort Hays State volleyball team opened the 2021 campaign with a 1-1 day at the Steel City Showcase on Friday. The Tigers began the day with a three-set rout against Minnesota-Crookston before falling to CSU-Pueblo later in the evening in three frames.
Isabelle Reynolds dropped in a team-high 17 kills on the day, while Emily Ellis had the top attack percentage between the two matches with a swing rate of .438. Elysia Glowacz paced the team with 26 assists while Jaden Daffer recorded a team-high four aces and 15 digs through six sets of play.
The Tigers will wrap up the weekend Saturday with two more matches inside CSU-Pueblo's Massari Arena. FHSU will first face off with Chadron State at approximately noon (11 a.m. MT) before battling UMary at around 6 p.m. (5 p.m. MT).
Fort Hays State 3, Minnesota-Crookston 0 (25-21, 25-13, 25-19)
The Tigers opened the year with a decisive win against Minnesota-Crookston, winning in three sets. FHSU pulled away late in the opening frame, taking the lead for good with back-to-back points after a 16-16 tie before going on to win 25-21.
FHSU then took control early in the second set, scoring five-straight points twice in the first 13 rallies to take a commanding 10-3 lead. The Tigers never relented, scoring five in a row once again later in the set en route to a 25-13 blowout.
The Golden Eagles hung around for much of the third set, tying things up as late as 15-15. But with the Tigers leading by just one, 20-19, FHSU went on another five-point run, this time sealing the match with a 25-19 third-set victory.
Isabelle Reynolds recorded kills on three of those final five points, including each of the last two, to help her lead the team with 11 kills. Reynolds also led the team with 10 digs, recording her second-career double-double. Jaysa Wichers impressed in her Tiger debut, recording 10 kills on 19 swings without committing an error to post a strong .526 attack percentage.
Elysia Glowacz and Jaida Felix shared the setting duties, recording 15 and 14 assists, respectively. Glowacz nearly recorded a double-double, adding eight digs in the win.
Emily Ellis recorded two blocks, including one solo, while adding five kills. Reynolds also led the team with three service aces, while Jaden Daffer added two.
The Tigers hit .302 in the match, including a solid .400 attack percentage in the opening set. FHSU held Minnesota-Crookston to a .229 attack rate, including a miniscule .074 swing percentage in the second frame.
CSU-Pueblo 3, Fort Hays State 0 (10-25, 18-25, 22-25)
After a long wait, the Tigers finally returned to the floor after 8 p.m. local time to meet up with a stout CSU-Pueblo squad. The tournament hosts defended their home court, winning in three sets to cap off a 2-0 day for the ThunderWolves.
CSU-Pueblo took care of business in the first two sets, winning 25-10 and 25-18 to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the match. But Fort Hays State was unfazed, battling throughout the third set and giving the ThunderWolves all they could handle. The Tigers scored as many as six-straight points midway through the frame to lead by as many as four, 15-11.
The home team fought back to tie things up at 17-17 before the Tigers once again pulled in front, leading as late as 21-19. CSU-Pueblo went on to score six of the final seven points in the match, taking the final frame 25-22.
Riley Tinder led the Tigers with eight kills on 20 swings in the second match of the day, while Reynolds added six kills and two blocks. Glowacz distributed 11 assists while Felix led the way with eight digs. Fort Hays State hit just .035 as a team while holding Pueblo to a .194 swing rate.
Sep 04, 2021
FHSU volleyball opens 2021 with split
Posted Sep 04, 2021 8:12 PM