ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - The Fort Hays State volleyball team picked up a big road win over Missouri Western on Saturday, knocking off the Griffons in four sets, 21-25, 27-25, 25-14, 25-19.
The Tigers (12-13, 6-10 MIAA) now lead Missouri Western (13-12, 5-11 MIAA) in the MIAA standings by one game with just two weeks to go in the regular season.
Missouri Western built a sizeable lead midway through the first set, but the Tigers closed within one late, 20-19. The Griffons closed the set with a 5-2 run to take a 1-0 lead, 25-21.
The teams went back-and-forth for the duration of the second set, with the lead never exceeding three points. The score was tied 15 times and there were five lead changes, with the final change coming late in the set when FHSU scored three in a row to turn a 21-19 deficit into a 22-21 lead. Morgan Christiansen, Isabelle Reynolds and Emily Ellis all rattled off kills to help the Tigers take the lead, prompting a Griffon timeout. The teams traded points over the next seven rallies before Christiansen brought the set to a close with a kill and a solo block, giving FHSU a 27-25 win.
Fort Hays State raced out to a 16-5 lead in the third set after a rash of Griffon errors. The Tigers led by as many as 13 on two occasions, 19-6 following a Jaida Felix service ace and later 24-11 after another solo block from Christiansen. The middle hitter later teamed up with Riley Tinder for another block, giving the Tigers a 25-14 win.
The Tigers fell behind early in the fourth set, but a kill from Mykah Eshbaugh gave FHSU a 9-8 lead. The Griffons momentarily tied things up, but a service error gave the Tigers the lead for good. Fort Hays State went on an 8-2 run to build the lead to 17-11, including service aces from Elysia Glowacz and Reynolds and kills from Reynolds, Tinder and Jaysa Wichers. Fort Hays State kept the Griffons at bay the rest of the way, going on to win the set 25-19 on one final kill from Reynolds.
Fort Hays State matched its season high with 14 blocks in the match while holding MWSU to a .081 attack percentage. The Tigers also dropped in nine service aces, their most in a match since the opening day of the 2018 season (Aug. 24, 2018).
Reynolds totaled a team-high 11 kills and three service aces while adding 17 digs for her second double-double of the weekend. Christiansen matched her career-best with five solo blocks, tied for the most in a match by a Tiger during the rally-scoring era. She also totaled five block assists for 10 total blocks, matching her personal best and tied for fifth-most in a single match by a Tiger during the rally-scoring era. The middle hitter also totaled five kills in the win.
Tinder picked up eight kills, 14 digs and two service aces, with Ellis recording seven kills and two solo blocks. Eshbaugh picked up six kills and one block, while Wichers tallied four kills and one dig in just three sets of action.
Glowacz tossed up 17 assists and added 11 digs, while Olivia Hessman also recorded a double-double with 17 assists, 12 digs and one service ace. Jaden Daffer led the team with 20 digs and added two assists.
Fort Hays State will wrap up the road trip on Tuesday when the Tigers travel north to take on No. 15 Nebraska-Kearney beginning at 6 p.m.