HAYS, Kan. – The Regis University Volleyball team started their 2026 season at the Fort Hays State (Kan.) Tiger Classic on Friday. The Rangers started with a 3-2 (24-26, 15-25, 26-24, 25-17, 17-15), but ended the day falling to Fort Hays, 0-3 (17-25, 16-25, 20-25). The Rangers now sit at 1-1, while the Greyhounds fall to 0-2 and the Tigers move to 2-0.
VS ENMU
Kendal Allaire marked the first kill of the season for the Rangers, while Maddie Lynett set up Alayna Pruitt and Sabrina Landman to put RU up 4-3 early. As the teams traded points, Lynett added a kill of her own, while Landman and Kailyn Polzin kept the game tied at 11-11. Morgan Munro assisted back-to-back blocks with Polzin and Pruitt, and Lynett aced three straight serves for the 17-12 lead. Pruitt and Munro assisted another block, but the Greyhounds closed the gap to tie the set at 22-22. Allaire and Polzin contributed late kills, but ENMU took the first set, 26-24.
Eastern took an early lead in the second, but two kills from Polzin and a Pruitt-Munro block evened the match at 5-5. From there, the Greyhounds went on a big run, taking a 12-5 lead before Nicole Shaver set up Munro's kill to end the run. The Rangers spread out their offensive attacks, but ENMU took control and won the second, 25-15.
Regis sprinted out to a big 8-0 lead in the third, led by three Allaire blocks and a Lynett ace. After a variety of attacking errors, Eastern began to dial in, evening the score at 11-11, but RU's block stepped up as well, with Munro getting assists from Jacie Kaniho and Callie Parker. With the set tied late, five different Rangers produced a kill, with the set winner coming from Kailyn Polzin.
Parker earned an early kill in the fourth, with a run of Greyhound errors keeping the score close. Allaire put down a solo block, and Cady Knight aced a serve to give Regis the advantage. Pruitt and Munro blocked an attack that started a quick run capped by Eduarda Silva's ace, going up 14-9. The squads traded points, keeping Regis in a comfortable lead. The Rangers ended the set with a 5-0 run, and Shaver ended the fourth with back-to-back aces.
The deciding set saw multiple ENMU errors and kills from Parker, Munro, and Polzin. With the match tied at 7-7-, Aaliyah Rodrakkwan aced a serve, but despite Allaire and Munro kills, the game remained tied, 11-11. Out of a timeout, Munro gave RU the advantage, and Polzin put Regis up two, but the game would tie again at 14-14. Parker and Allaire recorded kills, and a Greyhound error completed the reverse sweep, 17-15.
MATCH NOTES
· Polzin led the Rangers with 13 kills, while Allaire added 10 on a team-leading .292 hitting
· Lynett dished 29 assists, and Shaver added 14
· Knight produced 27 digs, followed by 18 from Rodrakkwan
· Munro posted seven solo blocks, Pruitt added six, while Allaire had two solo and four assists
· Sophia Valdez had 16 kills for ENMU, and Sydney Pipkin added 42 assists
VS FHSU
The Tigers built an early lead in the opening set, as Munro, Kaniho, and Polzin paced the Ranger offense. Allaire's kill started a quick run, closing the deficit to 11-16. The teams traded scores, and Pruitt and Munro assisted a block, but RU lost the first, 17-25.
Munro's ace and Allaire's kills put Regis up early in the second, but the lead didn't last long, as a big Tiger run gave them an 11-7 lead. Polzin ended the run with back-to-back kills, but another run grew the Fort Hays' advantage to 16-10. FHSU kept the momentum until, despite late Ptuitt kills, they took the set, 25-16.
After falling behind early in the third, Allaire sparked a run that included two Knight aces and a Pruitt-Munro block. Parker's kills helped bring the game within two, but the Tigers pulled away again. Pruitt scored three straight points late, two kills and an assisted block, but the match ended, 25-20.
GAME NOTES
· Polzin tallied eight kills, while Pruitt and Allaire added six
· Allaire led the Rangers, hitting .385
· Sahver assisted 12 kills, while Lynett added 11
· Lauryn Uyemura led the squad with nine digs
· Two Tigers recorded nine kills
UP NEXT
The Rangers conclude the Tiger Classic on Saturday, August 29, battling Truman State at 8:30 am and Midwestern State at 1:30 pm.
