MARYVILLE, Mo. – The No. 3-ranked Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team finally put away the Fort Hays State University Tigers in five sets in its Bearcat Arena debut Friday night.
 
Northwest won by set scores of 24-26, 25-15, 25-13, 23-25 and 15-12. Northwest moved to 19-3 overall and 12-2 in MIAA play, while Fort Hays State fell to 11-13 overall and 5-10 in league play.
 
Redshirt freshman Olivia Dir came off the bench to spark the Bearcats with a career-high 15 kills. She also posted her first double-double with 16 digs. Dir's previous high of 12 kills came vs. Augustana in the season opener on Sept. 3. Dir came into the match having been credited with 14 kills in MIAA action this season.
 
Peyton Kirchhoefer notched a match-high 23 kills, including five in the final set. Kirchhoefer hit .415 with one attack error in 53 total swings.
 
Alyssa Rezac posted her 11^th double-double on the year with 63 assists and 15 digs. Rezac also added two kills and two block assists.
 
Northwest came out strong with a 12-6 lead in the opening set. However, the Bearcats went idle and allowed the Tigers back in the set. FHSU used a 7-0 run to turn a 17-13 deficit into a 20-17 advantage. The Tigers led 24-21 before the Bearcats rallied to level the set at 24-24. However, a Bearcat service error and a block combo from FHSU's Morgan Christiansen and Isabelle Reynolds gave the Tigers the set, 26-24.
 
The Bearcats knotted the match at a set apiece with a second-set win. It was even at 8-8 when Northwest seized control with an 8-1 spurt. Northwest continued the run to 11-3 which gave the home squad a commanding 19-11 edge. The Bearcats closed out the set with a 25-17 triumph.
 
Northwest took a 2-1 lead in the match with a dominating performance in the pivotal third set. The Bearcats turned a 10-7 lead into a 14-7 advantage and never looked back. FHSU took a timeout at 20-12 but it only delayed the inevitable as Northwest posted a 25-13 set victory. Northwest hit .297 with 15 kills and four errors. FHSU hit .083 with nine kills and six errors.
 
The Bearcats bounced out to a 7-2 lead in the fifth set only to see the Tigers climb back to within 11-9. Following a timeout by head coach Amy Woerth, Payton Kirchhoefer put down a kill to give Northwest a 12-9 lead. The Tigers clawed to within 13-12 when Kirchhoefer hammered down her 23rd kill of the match. Abby Brunssen and Jaden Ferguson combined to block the FHSU attack to give Northwest a 15-12 victory in the fifth.
 
Northwest returns to action Saturday at 6 p.m. when the Bearcats take on the No. 15-ranked Nebraska-Kearney Lopers. Admission is free for the match following the Northwest football game against UNK, which begins at 2 p.m.
 
NOTES: Northwest recorded 72 kills to 48 for Fort Hays State … Northwest's 12 MIAA wins are the third-most in program history trailing only 14 wins in 2018 and 13 wins in 2019 … Northwest has dropped the opening set 10 times this season, but is 8-2 in those matches … it is the eighth straight win for Northwest against Fort Hays State … Northwest holds a 22-8-1 lead in the all-time series with FHSU … Northwest is one win away from the program's 17th 20-win season … Northwest is 5-1 at home this season after having posted four wins in Hughes Fieldhouse and this being the first in Bearcat Arena.