Joplin, Mo. – The Missouri Southern volleyball team got eight kills from Fernanda Canedo, 23 assists from Sophie Mader and 19 digs from Abbie Casper, but the Lions fell in three sets to Fort Hays State tonight inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.
 
Individual set scores were 17-25, 20-25 and 20-25.
 
The Lions (8-10, 3-6 MIAA) were led by Canedo's eight kills, while Mader had 23 assists and eight digs. Casper had a match-high 19 digs, while Canedo added ten digs of her own. Amelia Neels and Irina Alekseeva had six kills each.
 
FHSU (8-10, 3-7 MIAA) was led by Mykah Eshbaugh with 12 kills, while Riley Tinder had 11.
 
The two teams traded points in the first set, but four-straight from the Tigers gave FHSU a 10-7 lead and forced a Southern timeout. The Tigers led 18-9, forcing another Southern timeout, but the Lions went on a 6-2 run to cut the lead to five (20-15). The Tigers, however, closed out the set to take a 1-0 lead.
 
The Tigers opened up a 10-5 lead in the second set, but Southern would fight back and tied the set at 14 on the heels of a 9-4 run. The Lions tied the set again at 17 and again at 18, but the Tigers closed the set on a 7-2 run.
 
The Lions opened up a 7-3 lead in set three and Southern led 11-9, but the Tigers went on a 9-3 run to lead 18-14 and force a Lions' timeout. Southern came right back and got within three (21-18) to force a Tigers' timeout, but FHSU closed the match on a 4-2 run.
 
The Lions will take on fifth-ranked Nebraska-Kearney tomorrow night at 7 pm.