HAYS, Kan. — Missouri Southern State lost to Fort Hays State 3-0 on Saturday at Gross Memorial Coliseum, falling by set scores of 13-25, 9-25, 11-25. Missouri Southern finished with 17 kills, while Fort Hays St. totaled 41 kills and hit .302.

MSSU is 7-19 overall and 1-11 in Mid-America Intercollegiate play. FHSU is 18-12 overall and 5-7 in Mid-America Intercollegiate play.

Grace Gardner led the Lions with nine kills and added seven digs. Brenna Weaver finished with team highs of nine assists and eight digs. Kenzie Jones recorded two blocks, including one solo.

Southern spent the first set chasing after Fort Hays opened with five straight points and later moved from a 10-5 lead to an 18-6 advantage. Gardner supplied two early kills from Brenna Weaver as the Lions worked back onto the board, and Addysen Alvis added a kill to bring the visitors within 8-4. Fort Hays State created separation through the middle of the set, while Missouri Southern continued to get offense from Gardner and Alvis, who each finished the set with three kills. Tiana Simmons added a late kill, and Alvis teamed with Jones on a block during a brief MSSU push, but the Tigers scored the final three points to take the set 25-13.

Missouri Southern could not string together a sustained scoring stretch in the second set, as Fort Hays opened with four straight points and later closed the set with the final six in a 25-9 decision. Gardner put the Lions on the board with a kill from Brenna Weaver, then added another finish from Abby Morris as MSSU tried to answer an early 8-2 deficit. Hanna Lauterbach contributed a kill off Morris assist and later teamed with the defense for a block point, but Fort Hays St. continued to build separation with kills, blocks and service aces. After Southern reached 9-19 on a Tiger service error, the home side scored the last six points to finish the set.

Missouri Southern fell into an early 9-0 hole in the third set as Fort Hays St. got three Annie Eaton service aces and several attack points before Gardner put the Lions on the board with a kill from Morris. Jones followed with a block for MSSU's second point, and Ashlee Chavez Medina added a kill from Brenna Weaver to make it 13-3. Gardner continued to supply much of the attack, adding kills at 19-6, 22-9 and 24-10, while Tiana Simmons and Hanna Lauterbach contributed consecutive points during a three-point Missouri Southern stretch that reached 19-8. Fort Hays St. answered with enough offense to close out the set, and the Lions dropped the final set 25-11.