WICHITA – Newman volleyball hosted the Fort Hays State Tigers in their 1st game of the 2 game home stand on Friday, looking to get back in the win column ahead of their matchup with the #8 Nebraska Kearney Lopers, a team Newman took to 4 sets on the road earlier in the season.
Fort Hays came out on top in tonight's slugfest 3-1, where each set was decided by 3 or less points, with the first and fourth set needing 26 to end it.
 
The Jets had a chance to earn their first set 1 victory in a couple weeks, going up 24-21 after a 3-0 run off the hands off Natalie Meyer, Riley Daugherty, and Mckinzie Weaver but a 5-0 Fort Hays State run gave the Tigers the set 1 victory. Riley Daugherty finished the set with 7 kills.
 
Newman held on to the lead for most of set 2 but couldn't shake off the Tigers. Fort Hays took back the lead at 19-18 and traded it with the Jets before a kill by Emily Ellis and Riley Tinder ended the set with a kill a piece and gave FHSU the 2-0 set lead.
 
NU had no intention of going down as they whipped up and served the Tigers a 10-0 run as Ashton George's serves scrambled the Tigers and set the Jets up with opportunities for attacks that let Riley Daugherty, Natalie Meyer, Hannah Brisco, and George add to their stats and push the Tigers away from pulling off a sweep on the road. Newman's run gave the Jets enough room for any Tiger comeback as NU came away with a 25-22 set 3 victory. 
 
The slugfest continued as Fort Hays State maintained a small lead most of the 4th set, but with the Jets down 24-21 Riley Daugherty went on the attack and earned her 19th and 20th kill of the night and Mckinzie Weaver earned her 6th to tie the set at 24. However, a kill by Emily Ellis and an attack error by the Jets gave the Tigers the 3-1 victory. 
 
The Jets outhit the Tigers .230 to .183 to go along with 7 more blocks (9-2) and 5 more digs (93-88)
 
Riley Daugherty led all hitters with 20 kills. Hannah Brisco joined her in the double digit kill column with 10. Mckinzie Weaver and Natalie Meyer had 4 blocks each, and Abby Borough had 3. Natalie Morales led the Jets with 24 digs. 
 
The Jets are back in action tomorrow as Nebraska Kearney rolls in to Wichita for a matchup set for 1 PM.