WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Nov. 15, 2016) - No. 16 Central Missouri Jennies Volleyball (23-9, 11-7 MIAA) was given a tough draw in the quarterfinal round of the MIAA Tournament in Fort Hays State, but UCM was up to the task and handled everything the Tigers threw at them, coming away with a 3-1 win (25-23, 25-23, 16-25, 25-18). The win keeps the Jennies season alive as they advance to the semifinal round of the MIAA Tournament.
Three Jennies scored double-digit kills, led by
Kylie Hohlen's 16.
Molly Lawrence matched a career-best with 13 and
Kasey Hohlen added 13 as well.
Kylie Hohlen notched another double-double picking up 20 digs and went over 800 digs for her career.
As always,
Kourtney Thompson was in the middle of the action passing out 45 assists and corralling 12 digs for her seventh double-double of the season.
Carly Offerdahl equaled a career-best 32 digs. She also helped out with seven assists.
Abby Skrastins provided a spark with a game-high, and team-best, three service aces.
Fort Hays out-hit the Jennies .155-.150, committing five fewer attack errors. They also landed 13 blocks to Central Missouri's six. The Jennies led with three service aces without allowing one on defense. The Jens also had 89 digs to the Tigers 83.
The match did not start out on the right foot for UCM, who committed a service error on the very first serve of the game. That opened the door for a 6-0 Fort Hays State start and put the Jens immediately behind the eight-ball. Central Missouri slowly began to chip away at the lead, but midway through the frame, FHSU still held a five-point edge, 15-10.
Helped out by a pair of Skrastins service aces, the Jens went on a 7-2 run, and a kill from Thompson capped the stretch, tying the set at 17. UCM finally got back-to-back kills from
Mackenzie Harding and Lawrence and took their first lead, 20-19. The two teams battled but Lawrence had the hot hand and the Jennies kept feeding her. She had four of the Jennies final six points including the last two to complete the comeback and give UCM a 1-0 lead with 25-23 set win.
The second set had the same result, a 25-23 win for the Jennies, but took a different path getting there. This time Central Missouri jumped out on top, 7-3, and it was the Tigers turn to play comeback. Eight straight points, including four straight kills gave FHSU their first lead, 11-7. The run mercifully ended on a ball-handling error, but it was enough to get the Jennies going.
An 8-4 run, and three straight Tiger attack errors tied the set at 15. It was a sprint to the finish with the teams trading points along the way. Central Missouri was at set-point, 24-21, but the Tigers had one more burst left in them. They scored two on a ball handling error and a Crystal Whitten kill, forcing a UCM timeout. Out of the break, it was Whitten again, but this time she couldn't keep it in play, giving the Jens a 2-0 lead in the match.
Tied at three early in the third set, Fort Hays knocked four straight kills to take a 7-3 lead they never gave up. UCM fought though, tying the match at seven and getting to within one, 12-11, but the Tigers controlled the set, getting back into the match with a 25-16 win.
Central Missouri looked to be well on their way to a win in set four, but the Tigers had other plans. The Jennies were cruising, leading by eight, 17-9 after a kill from Lawrence. That's when the Tigers pounced, scoring eight unanswered points and evening the score at 17. After a service error got the Jennies the ball and the lead back, it was smooth sailing once again. Seven straight points, this time for the home team, gave the Jens a 24-17 lead. They won the match on
Kasey Hohlen's 13th kill of the night.
Fort Hays also had three with 10+ kills led by Whitten's 15. She also led the Tigers with 29 digs. Sydney Dixon landed 11 kills while Megan Anderson had 10. They each also put back five blocks and Callie Christensen finished with a game-high seven blocks, including one solo.
The higher seeds were all victorious in the quarterfinal round of the MIAA Tournament. That means Central Missouri will travel to Kearney, Neb. to play host team Nebraska-Kearney in the semifinal round. The No. 1 seed in the tournament and No. 3 team in the nation hosts the semifinal and final rounds of the MIAA Tournament. First serve from Kearney, is Friday, Nov. 18 at 7:30 p.m., following the conclusion of second-seeded Washburn vs. third-seeded Central Oklahoma.
