Oct. 24, 2009 (KIRKSVILLE, Mo.) – Junior Ashley Petak served eight straight times and spearheaded a massive run to help the 19th-ranked Truman volleyball team avoid a fifth set against Fort Hays State on Saturday night, as the Bulldogs held off a Tiger upset bid, 3-1 (-15, 23-25, -20, -23), in Pershing Arena.
Truman (20-9, 8-5 MIAA) trailed 23-16 in the fourth set before a service error by FHSU (7-20, 3-11 MIAA) libero Tracie Hileman turned the reins over to Petak. From there, Petak served the rest of the way, freshman Megan Sharpe put down two kills and two blocks, and sophomore Molly Sinclair nabbed a pair of kills of her own to cap a 9-0 run.
The Bulldogs jumped out quickly against the visiting Tigers, hitting .265 in the opening set and posting a 25-15 win. However, Fort Hays sent the teams to intermission tied at one by taking eight of the final 11 points to win set two, 25-23.
Truman blistered the ball in the third frame, hitting .404 with 19 kills and no errors as a team, guided by Sharpe’s six kill, no error line. Freshman libero Nastassia Hegyi dug 11 Hays attacks in the game en route to a match- (and career-) high 27 digs on the night.
But FHSU wouldn’t fade, jumping out to an 8-5 lead in the fourth set and expanding the lead to as much as seven twice. However, it was Sinclair’s turn to pace the ’Dogs offensively, picking up five of her 12 kills and recording no hitting errors in the fourth game to help the Truman program pick up win No. 20 for the 20th straight season.
In a match that saw 18 ties and eight total lead changes, Sharpe led the way with a match-best 16 points (14 kills, one solo block, two block assists) on top of hitting .423. Junior Allison Barker added 15 points (14 kills, one ace), while Sinclair chipped in 13 points (12 kills, one ace) of her own. Both Barker and Sinclair picked up double-doubles by finishing with 13 and 17 digs respectively.
Petak’s 31 assists led all players, with senior Krysta Tholen adding 14 helpers of her own. Sophomore Johanna Ruff picked up top blocking honors on the night, putting down three solo and two assisted as part of the Bulldogs’ eight as a team.
Lillian Rezende had 12 kills and 22 digs to lead Fort Hays in both categories, and Makayla McPhail added 10 kills as well.
Truman will be back in action on Wednesday night, Oct. 28, at 7 pm in Pershing Arena against Southwest Baptist. The Bulldogs won a 3-2 affair in Bolivar on Sept. 22.