SHAWNEE – Fort Hays State continued its strong start to the season with a 3-1 road victory over Oklahoma Baptist on Saturday inside the Noble Complex. The Tigers (11-1) used a balanced offensive attack to hand the Bison (9-4) just their second home loss of the year, winning by set scores of 25-18, 17-25, 25-21, 25-18.
Fort Hays State came out firing in the opening set, hitting .306 as a team and riding the arm of Gracie Rains, who tallied 16 kills on .294 efficiency to pace the offense. After Oklahoma Baptist responded with a sharp second set — led by
Allie Stricker's six kills and a .267 team hitting mark — the Tigers regrouped and controlled the next two frames.
The third set proved pivotal, with five lead changes before Fort Hays State closed on a 3-0 run. Ashlyn Reeves chipped in 11 kills while Peyton Bergschneider added 12 kills and 12 digs for a double-double performance. Setter Abrey Galt directed the offense with 32 assists and added 13 digs, helping the Tigers out-dig the Bison 78-69 overall.
For Oklahoma Baptist, Stricker was a standout with 16 kills and 17.5 points, while
Mackenzie Frazee contributed nine kills and three blocks.
Emily Boyer dished out 22 assists and registered four kills, while libero
Karsyn Hunter anchored the back row with a match-high 25 digs.
Ultimately, the Tigers' efficiency down the stretch made the difference, hitting .341 in the decisive fourth set compared to OBU's .163. With the win, Fort Hays State improved to 11-1 heading into conference play, while Oklahoma Baptist dropped to 9-4.
Next on the schedule for OBU is a road date with GAC opponent Southern Nazarene on Sept. 23 at 6 p.m.
