RV/#25 Fort Hays State (6-2, 6-2 MIAA) at
Lincoln (1-7, 1-7 MIAA)
Saturday, November 2, 2019 – 1 pm
Dwight T. Reed Stadium – Jefferson City, Mo.
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Fort Hays State Football hits the road this weekend for a road contest at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri. FHSU enters the game 6-2, while Lincoln is 1-7. The Tigers are looking for their seventh straight win after an 0-2 start to the year, and their seventh straight win in the series history with the Blue Tigers.

The Tigers look to stay alive in the conference championship race and NCAA Playoff picture. FHSU is two games back of MIAA-leading Central Missouri and just one back of second-place Northwest Missouri State. If the Tigers are going to make the NCAA Playoffs for a third straight year, winning their final three regular season games is most likely the only option. FHSU enters this week ranked No. 9 in the Super Region 3 rankings. The top seven in the super region will make the NCAA Playoffs and the Tigers have seven teams with one loss or less in front of them, as well as a two-loss Missouri Western team that they lost to early in the season.

Fort Hays State and Lincoln are meeting for the first time since the 2013 season, the last year Lincoln was a member of the MIAA before coming back into the conference this season with the departure of Lindenwood. The Blue Tigers played as members of the GLVC from 2014-2018 while absent from the MIAA in football. FHSU won that 2013 meeting 45-35. FHSU has traditionally seen close battles with Lincoln. The previous three meetings between FHSU and Lincoln in MIAA play were decided by 10 points or less, all going to FHSU in the win column.

Offensively, the Tigers have scored at least 30 points in six of eight games this season. FHSU is coming off a 37-31 win over Nebraska-Kearney at home last week. The Tigers are averaging 37 points in four road games so far this year, scoring at least 30 in all four.

Lincoln began the season 0-6 before claiming its first win of the year over a winless Northeastern State squad in Week 7 by a score of 27-9. The Blue Tigers have allowed at least 38 points in all seven of their losses this year. Lincoln is coming off a 56-9 loss at Northwest Missouri State last week. Running back Hosea Franklin accounts for over 50 percent of Lincoln’s total offense. He is the only player in the MIAA with over 1,000 rushing yards this season with 1,048 through eight games. He averages 131 yards per game on the ground.

Chance Fuller is the triggerman for the Tiger offense. FHSU ranks 10th in the nation in passing offense, averaging 314.3 yards per game through the air. Individually Fuller averages 306.5 passing yards per game, which ranks ninth in NCAA Division II. He has 2,452 passing yards with 25 touchdowns so far this year. Harley Hazlett, Manny Ramsey, and Layne Bieberle have been a triple threat of targets for Fuller. Hazlett leads the team in receiving yards with 673, followed by Ramsey with 596 and Bieberle with 589. Charles Tigner leads the Tiger ground game with 643 rushing yards, going over 100 yards in a game three times this season.

Defensively, Drew Harvey leads the Tigers in tackles with 69, followed by Tanner Hoekman with 67 and Jordan Starks with 64. The aforementioned trio has six of the team’s 10 interceptions this season. Sheldon Schmidt continues to lead the team in sacks with three.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Fort Hays State women’s basketball team kept pace with a talented K-State squad for much of the night before falling 78-60 in exhibition play Friday at Bramlage Coliseum. After trailing by as many as 17 early in the third quarter, the Tigers closed within three early in the fourth before the Wildcats pulled away down the stretch.

The Tigers were well balanced on offense, with 11 of the 12 Tigers that played scoring at least one point. Belle Barbieri and Jaden Hobbs led the team with 10 points each. Allison McFarren (nine points), Taylor Rolfs (seven), Kacey Kennett (six) and Whitney Randall (five) also scored at least five points on the night.

K-State’s size advantage was evident on the stat sheet, with the Wildcats outrebounding FHSU 53-27 and outscoring the Tigers in the paint 36-22.

In addition to leading the team in scoring, Barbieri also paced the team with five rebounds and four assists. McFarren was the only Tiger to knock down multiple shots from behind the arc, drilling 3-of-6 of her 3-point attempts.

Kennett knocked down a pair of jumpers in a span of 22 seconds thanks to a steal from Rolfs to give the Tigers a 6-4 lead less than two minutes into the game, FHSU’s only lead of the night.

After trailing by as many as five, a layup from Rolfs early in the second quarter helped the Tigers close within one, 18-17. K-State started to pull away over the heart of the second quarter, using a 17-5 run to go in front by 13, 37-24. McFarren ended an 8-0 Wildcat run with a 3-pointer before Rolfs made another steal and knocked down a triple of her own, trimming the deficit to seven in just 11 seconds.

After leading by 10 at halftime, 41-31, K-State scored the first seven points of the second half to pad the lead to 17. The Black and Gold responded with a 16-4 run over the final 7:32 of the third quarter, closing within five with 10 minutes to play. While the rest of the team took advantage of trips to the charity stripe, hitting 6-of-8 free throws, both Hobbs and Madison Mittie knocked down 3-pointers to give the Tigers some life.

Hobbs scored on a layup after a dish from Barbieri on the first possession of the final quarter to close within one possession, 52-49, before the home team finished things off thanks to a 26-11 run. K-State hit 10-of-18 from the floor during the final stretch to secure the victory.

After knocking down 40 percent (12-of-30) from the floor in the opening half, the Tigers finished the game with a shooting percentage of 33.9 percent (21-of-62). FHSU hit 6-of-17 from deep, good for 35.3 percent. The Tigers created 21 Wildcat turnovers while turning the ball over just 15 times. Both teams were credited with nine steals.

The Tigers open the season next weekend in St. Joseph, Mo. against two of the top teams from the NSIC, both of whom won 20 or more games last year. The regular season opens against Minnesota Duluth, who reached the NCAA DII Tournament last year, on Friday (Nov. 8) at 1:30 p.m. FHSU wraps up the opening weekend against Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday beginning at 2 p.m. Both games will be played inside the St. Joseph Civic Arena.

Coming off the best season in the program’s NCAA Division II history, the Fort Hays State women’s basketball team opens exhibition play for the 2019-20 season Friday when the Tigers travel to Manhattan, Kan. to play Kansas State. First tip is set for 6:30 p.m. inside Bramlage Coliseum, with tickets available for as low as $5.

This is the sixth meeting between the Tigers and Wildcats in exhibition play, with K-State coming away victorious in all five previous contests. This is the third year in a row that FHSU has made the trip to Manhattan for a preseason matchup. The Tigers kept things close in a defensive battle one year ago to the day, leading by as many as nine late in the third quarter before coming up two points short, 48-46 (11/1/18). Kacey Kennett averages 9.5 points per game in two trips to Manhattan.

FHSU and K-State played annually during the infancy of both programs, with the Wildcats leading the regular season series 11-2. The last regular season matchup was played in 1976.

Fort Hays State returns 10 letterwinners from last year’s squad that finished 32-2, the most wins in a season during the DII era. The Tigers won both regular season and MIAA tournament titles and reached the regional championship game. Among the returners are three All-MIAA performers in Kacey Kennett (second team), Lanie Page (third team) and Belle Barbieri. Four newcomers, including two transfers and two true freshmen, round out this year’s roster.

Two Tigers have strong K-State ties in Madison Mittie and Lanie Page. Mittie’s father, Jeff Mittie, is in his sixth season as head coach at Kansas State. He has led the Wildcats to the postseason each of the last five seasons, including three trips to the NCAA Tournament and a pair of WNIT appearances. Page played for Mittie two years in Manhattan, redshirting her first year before appearing in 25 games in 2016-17.

K-State returns nine letterwinners from last year’s squad that finished 21-12 and qualified for the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Peyton Williams and Rachel Ranke were selected as preseason All-Big 12 honorees this season, while Williams and Christianna Carr return after earning All-Big 12 accolades last year. The Wildcats opened exhibition play with a 75-59 win over Washburn on Tuesday (Oct. 29).

INDIANAPOLIS – No. 20 Fort Hays State men’s soccer is placed seventh out of 10 teams in the first installment of the NCAA 2019 super region rankings. FHSU is represented in super region three.

In prior years, the soccer rankings have been separated into eight smaller regions (Atlantic, Central, East, Midwest, South, South Central, Southeast, and West). For the 2019 campaign, the NCAA has transitioned to a postseason format of Super Regions – an expanded version of the previous regional format. The men’s soccer committee will select 10 teams to represent each super region.

The NCAA men’s soccer committee will continue to release two more editions of the super region rankings. The next edit will be made on Wednesday, Nov. 6 and the final selections on Wednesday, Nov. 13.

Two Tiger opponents have entered into the super region ranks. Maryville University (Mo.) clocks in at No. 5 in super region three, posting a record of 12-2-2. While Eastern New Mexico has been slated in the 10th spot in super region four.

Fort Hays State began the season with a 3-0 victory at home over Rockhurst, followed by a tough stretch of matches consisting of three losses to Eastern New Mexico, Maryville (who was ranked No. 19), and Regis University. Since those games, the Tigers have headed out on a dominant streak of nine wins, one loss, and one tie.

With just three games left to play in the regular season, the Black and Gold are set to travel to Wichita, Kan. to face off against Newman before ending their season in Hays, Kan. against Oklahoma Baptist and Southern Nazarene.

 

Below are the NCAA Super Region Rankings for October 29, 2019:

Region/Rank	School	In-Region Record	DII Record
SUPER REGION 1
1	Adelphi	12-0-1	12-0-1
2	Gannon	12-1	12-1
3	Charleston (WV)	12-2-1	12-2-1
4	Wilmington (DE)	13-1-1	13-1-1
5	West Chester	10-3-1	10-3-1
6	Mercy	10-3-2	10-3-2
7	Franklin Pierce	10-3-1	10-3-1
8	Millersville	9-4-2	9-4-2
9	Post	8-3-3	8-3-3
10	Le Moyne	9-4-1	9-4-1
11	Notre Dame (OH)	8-3-2	8-3-2
12	Southern N.H.	6-4-3	6-4-3
SUPER REGION 2
1	Lynn	9-0-1	10-0-1
2	West Florida	9-1-2	9-1-2
3	Florida Tech	8-1-1	9-1-1
4	Palm Beach Atl.	8-2-2	9-2-2
5	Young Harris	9-3	9-3
6	Wingate	8-2-2	8-2-2
7	Francis Marion	10-2-1	10-2-1
8	Lander	8-3-2	8-3-2
9	Carson-Newman	10-3-1	10-3-1
10	Mississippi Col.	6-0-4	6-0-4
11	AUM	7-3-2	7-3-2
12	Queens (NC)	8-5	8-5
SUPER REGION 3
1	Lake Erie	15-1	15-1
2	Bellarmine	11-0-4	11-0-4
3	Ohio Valley	10-2-2	10-2-2
4	McKendree	12-1-2	12-1-2
5	Maryville (MO)	12-2-2	12-2-2
6	UIndy	10-4-1	10-4-1
7	Fort Hays St.	10-4-1	10-4-1
8	Walsh	7-4-2	9-4-2
9	Cedarville	6-2-6	6-2-6
10	Tiffin	7-4-3	7-4-3
11	Saginaw Valley	9-5-1	9-5-1
12	Wis.-Parkside	9-5-1	9-5-1
SUPER REGION 4
1	Azusa Pacific	12-0	12-0
2	Cal State LA	12-0-1	12-0-1
3	St. Mary’s (TX)	11-2-1	11-2-1
4	Midwestern St.	11-2	11-2
5	Cal St. San B’dino	9-2-2	9-2-2
6	Western Wash.	9-3-1	9-3-1
7	UC San Diego	12-3	12-3
8	Tex. A&M Int’l	8-3-1	9-4-1
9	Cal Poly Pomona	8-4-2	8-4-2
10	Eastern N.M.	8-4-1	9-4-1
11	Chico St.	8-4	8-4
12	Westminster (UT)	10-4-2	10-4-2

FAYETTE, Iowa – The National Wrestling Coaches Association released its 2019-20 preseason rankings for NCAA Division II on Wednesday. Fort Hays State starts the year ranked No. 17, while Brandon Ball (141 pounds) and Efe Osaghae (165 pounds) rank individually.

Team Rankings
Individual Rankings

Ball will start the year ranked No. 2 at 141 pounds. He enjoyed a stint as the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the nation last year from February 4 through the end of the season in March. He was champion of Super Region 4 and went on to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, finishing 2018-19 with a record of 28-2. Ball was 27-0 all the way up to the national semifinal match, where he lost to eventual national runner-up Isaiah Royal of Newberry. Royal begins this season as the No. 1 ranked wrestler at 141. Ball is a two-time All-America performer for FHSU, also claiming a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championships in his redshirt-freshman year of 2016-17. He has an impressive career collegiate record of 114-21 entering his senior season.

Osaghae will start the year ranked ninth at 165 pounds. Last year he was ranked at 157 pounds, moving all the way up to No. 2 in the nation by early February. However, the 2017-18 All-America performer fell short of qualifying for nationals last year by getting knocked out of the Super Region tournament in a pair of close matches. Osaghae finished last year with a 24-5 record and has an overall collegiate record of 70-23 entering his junior year.

Team rankings are based on the tournament-power index rating. As a team, FHSU generates 20 points in the preseason rankings. The 20 points ties FHSU with Adams State and Limestone for a ranking of 17th in the rankings. The tournament-power index rating is explained below.

This is a tournament-power index ranking. The poll is not based on a team’s dual strength. TPI Point Totals are broken down by the following individual rankings: 1st=20pts, 2nd=16pts, 3rd=13pts, 4th=12pts, 5th=10pts, 6th=9pts, 7th=7pts, 8th=6pts, 9th=4pts, 10th=3pts, 11th=2pts, 12th=1pt.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State Men’s Basketball received votes in the NABC Division II Preseason Top 25 Poll, released on October 29, 2019. The Tigers are coming off an 18-11 season and were picked fourth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches and Media Polls.

The top four picks in both the MIAA Preseason Coaches and Media Polls are referenced in the preseason national poll, two inside the top 25 and two receiving votes. Defending national champion Northwest Missouri State will start the season No. 1 after a perfect 38-0 season in 2018-19, while Missouri Southern enters the season No. 10 in the nation. Washburn and Fort Hays State are also among the top 50 nationally in voting points. The Ichabods received 25 points and the Tigers received six.

This is the first appearance for FHSU in the receiving votes section of the NABC Poll since January of the 2015-16 season.

Fort Hays State opens the 2019-20 season on November 8 in Russellville, Arkansas. The Tigers will be taking on a pair of Great American Conference teams over that weekend, facing host Arkansas Tech on opening night before taking on Southwestern Oklahoma State on November 9.

Below is the NABC Preseason Top 25 Poll.

Rank	Team	2018-19 Record	Points	Prev.
1	Northwest Missouri State (16)	38-0	400	1
2	Nova Southeastern (Fla.)	29-4	375	5
3	Bellarmine (Ky.)	28-5	353	7
4	West Liberty (W.Va.)	28-5	305	9
5	UC-San Diego	26-8	294	NR
6	Lincoln Memorial (Tenn.)	20-9	278	NR
7	West Texas A&M	34-4	266	3
8	Queens (N.C.)	31-5	247	10
9	Southern Nazarene (Okla.)	29-6	239	13
10	Missouri Southern	25-8	220	NR
11	Indiana (Pa.)	30-3	213	2
12	Valdosta State (Ga.)	24-7	203	21
13	Augusta (Ga.)	28-6	162	16
14	Colorado School of Mines	25-6	144	14
15	Northern State (S.D.)	26-7	135	19
16	Alabama-Huntsville	24-8	127	NR
17	Findlay (Ohio)	28-5	120	8
18	Southern Indiana	26-9	109	NR
19	Ashland (Ohio)	23-7	102	NR
20	St. Edward’s (Texas)	30-4	83	4
21	Saint Anselm (N.H.)	26-6	68	20
22	Daemen (N.Y.)	24-6	63	22
23	Concordia (Calif.)	23-11	60	NR
24	Tarleton State (Texas)	21-10	46	NR
25	Morehouse (Ga.)	20-5	39	NR

Others Receiving Votes: Azusa Pacific (Calif.) 38, Cal Poly Pomona 38, Jefferson (Pa.) 38, Augustana (S.D.) 36, Seattle Pacific (Wash.) 36, USC Aiken 31, Florida Southern 30, Bowie State (Md.) 28, Christian Brothers (Tenn.) 26, Bentley (Mass.) 25, Washburn (Kan.) 25, Davenport (Mich.) 22, Barry (Fla.) 19, St. Thomas Aquinas (N.Y.) 18, New Haven (Conn.) 17, Catawba (N.C.) 15, Southeastern Oklahoma State 14, Minnesota State 13, UNC Pembroke 13, Lewis (Ill.) 12, Point Loma (Calif.) 9, Western Oregon 8, Cal State East Bay 6, Fort Hays State (Kan.) 6, Chaminade (Hawai’i) 5, Emmanuel (Ga.) 5, East Stroudsburg (Pa.) 4, Bridgeport (Conn.) 3, Lynn (Fla.) 2, Western Washington 2, Belmont Abbey (N.C.) 1, Dixie State (Utah) 1, Indianapolis (Ind.) 1, Saint Martin’s (Wash.) 1, Slippery Rock (Pa.) 1.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State Men’s Soccer moved up three spots in the latest United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll, released on Tuesday. The Tigers picked up wins over Harding and Ouachita Baptist last week to upgrade their status in the poll.

Fort Hays State is the only Great American Conference team referenced inside of the Top 25. Rogers State is just outside of the Top 25 as the first team listed among teams receiving votes.

Now 10-4-1 overall, the Tigers have one game this week at Newman on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 2). Just two weeks remain in the regular season as the Tigers are one win away from clinching the No. 1 seed for the GAC Tournament, which would give them home-field advantage for the tournament.

Below is the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 for October 29, 2019.

Rank	School	Prev	W-L-T
1	Azusa Pacific University	1	13-0-0
2	Adelphi University	2	13-0-1
3	Lynn University	3	11-0-1
4	California State University-Los Angeles	4	12-0-1
5	Lake Erie College	7	15-1-0
6	Gannon University	8	12-1-0
7	Francis Marion University	15	10-2-1
8	Wilmington University	11	14-1-1
9	Palm Beach Atlantic University	22	10-2-2
10	St. Mary’s University (Texas)	16	11-2-1
11	University Of Charleston	12	12-2-1
12	Bellarmine University	10	11-0-4
13	Midwestern State University	5	11-2-0
14	California State University-San Bernardino	9	9-2-2
15	Young Harris College	21	9-3-0
16	Florida Tech	6	9-1-1
17	McKendree University	19	12-1-2
18	Colorado School Of Mines	18	11-3-2
19	Wingate University	RV	8-2-2
20	Fort Hays State University	23	10-4-1
21	University Of West Florida	14	9-1-2
22	Franklin Pierce University	NR	10-3-1
23	Western Washington University	RV	9-3-1
24	Maryville University of St. Louis	24	12-2-2
25	Lander University	NR	8-3-2

Also receiving votes: Rogers State University, Millersville University, Mercy College, Texas A&M International University, Ohio Valley University

INDIANAPOLIS – The NCAA released its first set of Division II Super Region Rankings for football on Monday (Oct. 28). With a record of 6-2, Fort Hays State holds a ranking of ninth in Super Region 3 entering Week 9 of the regular season.

Three weeks remain in the regular season as Fort Hays State continues its quest for a third-straight appearance in the NCAA Division II Playoffs. At the end of the regular season, the top seven teams in the Super Region are selected to compete in the playoffs. Right now the Tigers are on the outside looking in, but several of the teams within Super Region 3 still have key games in front of them that could shake up the rankings in the weeks ahead.

Four unbeaten teams remain from all four conferences that make up Super Region 3. Ferris State (GLIAC), Central Missouri (MIAA), Indianapolis (GLVC), and Ouachita Baptist (GAC) are the teams that have yet to take a loss this year. Harding, Northwest Missouri State, and Grand Valley State all have one loss, while Missouri Western and Fort Hays State each have two. Henderson State is 10th among the group, though it only has one loss.

The top seven in the initial set of Super Region 3 rankings nearly reflects all seven that made the playoff field last year. The only team within the top seven that did not make the playoffs last year is Central Missouri, which replaces Fort Hays State among that group for now. However, plenty can change in the final three weeks of the season.

Below are the Super Region 3 rankings for October 28, 2019.

Rank	Team	In-Region Record	Overall DII Record
1	Ferris State (Mich.)	7-0	8-0
2	Central Missouri	8-0	8-0
3	Indianapolis	7-0	7-0
4	Ouachita Baptist (Ark.)	8-0	8-0
5	Harding (Ark.)	7-1	7-1
6	Northwest Missouri State	7-1	7-1
7	Grand Valley State (Mich.)	5-1	7-1
8	Missouri Western	6-2	6-2
9	Fort Hays State (Kan.)	6-2	6-2
10	Henderson State (Ark.)	7-1	7-1

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The MIAA released its Mammoth Turf Football Athletes of the Week on Monday (Oct. 28). Sophomore quarterback Chance Fuller earned Offensive Athlete of the Week honors for the second straight week following his performance in a 37-31 win over Nebraska-Kearney.

Fuller threw for a career-high 435 yards in the 37-31 win over Nebraska-Kearney in Hays. He completed 28-of-38 pass attempts (73.7 percent), while throwing for three touchdowns. Fuller connected with Manny Ramsey for an 88-yard touchdown, the longest pass completion of his career so far, putting the Tigers up 30-17 just before the end of the third quarter. He had touchdown passes of 15 yards and 9 yards in the first half. Fuller spread the ball around well to seven receiving targets, led by Ramsey with 169 yards, Layne Bieberle with 127 yards, and Harley Hazlett with 81 yards.

Fuller joins Missouri Western linebacker Anthony Williams (Defensive Athlete of the Week) and Central Oklahoma kicker Alex Quevedo (Special Teams Athlete of the Week) as the weekly honorees from the conference office.

The latest release of the D2Football.com Top 25 on Monday has Fort Hays State back in its Top 25. After an 0-2 start to the 2019 season dropped the Tigers from both the D2Football.com and AFCA Top 25 Polls, the Tigers jump back into the D2Football.com poll this week at No. 25 following six straight wins.

The Tigers held a No. 8 ranking in the D2Football.com Top 25 Poll to start the year and a loss to Central Missouri pushed the Tigers down to No. 22. A Week 2 loss to Missouri Western dropped the Tigers from the poll following two weeks of play. FHSU has won six straight since the tough start to earn its way back into the poll. Central Missouri (No. 13) and Northwest Missouri State (No. 16) give the MIAA three teams inside the Top 25.

Fort Hays State continues to receive votes in the AFCA Top 25 Poll for a second straight week. The Tigers are the sixth-highest listed team in the receiving votes section, sharing the spot with Missouri Western. Both the Tigers and Griffons are 6-2 on the year and both received six points in the poll this week. Central Missouri and Northwest Missouri State remain in the Top 25, holding the No. 11 and No. 14 spots respectively. FHSU began the season No. 11 in the AFCA Poll, dropped to No. 25 after its Week 1 loss, then fell out of the poll entirely before jumping back into the receiving votes section last week after its win over Pittsburg State.

Fort Hays State heads on the road this week for a meeting with Lincoln University. Game time is set for 1 pm in Jefferson City, Missouri.

Below is the D2Football.com Top 25 for October 28, 2019.

Rank	Team	Record	Last Week
1	Valdosta State	8-0	1
2	Ferris State	8-0	2
3	Minnesota State	8-0	3
4	Ouachita Baptist	8-0	4
5	Tarleton State	8-0	5
6	Notre Dame	8-0	6
7	Indianapolis	7-0	7
8	Lenoir-Rhyne	8-0	8
9	Colorado School of Mines	8-0	9
10	Slippery Rock	8-0	10
11	CSU-Pueblo	7-1	11
12	Wingate	8-0	12
13	Central Missouri	8-0	13
14	Harding	7-1	14
15	Grand Valley	7-1	15
16	Northwest Missouri State	7-1	16
17	Bowie State	8-0	17
18	Kutztown	8-0	18
19	Angelo State	7-1	19
20	West Florida	6-1	20
21	Indiana (Pa.)	7-1	21
22	West Chester	7-1	22
23	Henderson State	7-1	23
24	Texas A&M-Commerce	6-2	24
25	Fort Hays State	6-2	NR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below is the AFCA Top 25 Poll for October 28, 2019.

Rank	School (1st votes)	Record	Pts.	Prev.	Week 8	Next Game
1.	Valdosta St. (Ga.) (29)	8-0	772	1	D. North Greenville (S.C.), 20-15	Nov. 9 vs. No. 20 West Florida
2.	Ferris St. (Mich.) (1)	8-0	737	2	D. Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.), 34-10	Nov. 2 at Michigan Tech
3.	Minnesota St.	8-0	706	3	D. Minnesota-Crookston, 81-0	Nov. 2 vs. Wayne St. (Neb.)
4.	Tarleton St. (Texas) (1)	8-0	689	4	D. Texas A&M-Kingsville, 45-33	Nov. 2 vs. Midwestern St. (Texas)
5.	Ouachita Baptist (Ark.)	8-0	648	5	D. Southern Nazarene (Okla.), 27-13	Nov. 2 vs. Southern Arkansas
6.	Notre Dame (Ohio)	8-0	605	6	D. Findlay (Ohio), 24-19	Nov. 2 at Frostburg St. (Md.)
7.	Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.)	8-0	572	7	D. Limestone (S.C.), 28-20	Nov. 2 vs. No. 12 Wingate (N.C.)
8.	Indianapolis (Ind.)	7-0	552	8	D. Missouri S&T, 48-7	Nov. 2 at Lindenwood (Mo.)
9.	Colorado School of Mines	8-0	528	9t	D. Azusa Pacific (Calif.), 49-27	Nov. 2 at South Dakota Mines
10.	Slippery Rock (Pa.)	8-0	509	9t	D. Clarion (Pa.), 41-6	Nov. 2 vs. California (Pa.)
11.	Central Missouri	8-0	459	11	D. Pittsburg St. (Kan.), 36-28	Nov. 2 at Nebraska-Kearney
12.	Wingate (N.C.)	8-0	429	12	D. Virginia-Wise, 45-13	Nov. 2 at No. 7 Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.)
13.	Colorado St.-Pueblo	7-1	386	13	D. Adams St. (Colo.), 52-12	Nov. 2 at Fort Lewis (Colo.)
14.	Northwest Missouri St.	7-1	356	14	D. Lincoln (Mo.), 56-9	Nov. 2 vs. Northeastern St. (Okla.)
15.	Bowie St. (Md.)	8-0	336	15	D. No. 25 Virginia Union, 52-17	Nov. 2 vs. Lincoln (Pa.)
16.	Grand Valley St. (Mich.)	7-1	312	16	D. Davenport (Mich.), 27-7	Nov. 2 vs. William Jewell (Mo.)
17.	Kutztown (Pa.)	8-0	299	17	D. Shippensburg (Pa.), 55-5	Nov. 2 at No. 22 West Chester (Pa.)
18.	Harding (Ark.)	7-1	267	18	D. Northwestern Oklahoma St., 47-13	Nov. 2 vs. East Central (Okla.)
19.	Indiana (Pa.)	7-1	217	19	D. Gannon (Pa.), 35-0	Nov. 2 at Seton Hill (Pa.)
20.	West Florida	6-1	190	20	D. Florida Tech, 38-14	Nov. 2 vs. North Greenville (S.C.)
21.	Angelo St. (Texas)	7-1	140	22	D. Texas-Permian Basin, 65-7	Nov. 2 at Adams St. (Colo.)
22.	West Chester (Pa.)	7-1	136	21	D. East Stroudsburg (Pa.), 28-21	Nov. 2 vs. No. 17 Kutztown (Pa.)
23.	Henderson St. (Ark.)	7-1	89	23t	D. Southeastern Oklahoma St., 41-27	Nov. 2 at Arkansas-Monticello
24.	Texas A&M-Commerce	5-2	57	23t	D. Western New Mexico, 62-21	Nov. 2 at West Texas A&M
25.	Truman St. (Mo.)	7-1	16	NR	D. William Jewell (Mo.), 49-27	Nov. 2 vs. McKendree (Ill.)

Others Receiving Votes: Tiffin (Ohio), 12; Frostburg St. (Md.), 9; Sioux Falls (S.D.), 9; West Texas A&M, 9; Virginia Union, 7; Fort Hays St. (Kan.), 6; Missouri Western St., 6; Southern Arkansas, 4; Carson-Newman (Tenn.), 3; Pittsburg St. (Kan.), 3.

HAYS, Kan. – On another cold afternoon at FHSU Soccer Stadium, the Fort Hays State women’s soccer team fell victim to Northeastern State, 1-0. The Tigers now stand at 8-4-2 (4-2-2 MIAA), while Northeastern State improved its record to 11-4-1 (6-3-0 MIAA).

The first half told the story of the match. Going into a fierce north wind, Cailey Perkins attempted a shot just 90 seconds into the game. That proved to be the only offense the Tigers could muster until the 58th minute. After testing Megan Kneefel early with five shots, the RiverHawks were able to score on their sixth attempt of the match off the foot of Paulina Chavez. Chavez received a pass from Megan Chase and found an opening in the defense before sending the ball past a diving Kneefel. Northeastern State put up another five shots before the half with an 11-1 edge in shots.

With the wind now at their backs, the Tigers fought back in the second half. They put up six shots in the last 30 minutes of the match, testing the defense of the RiverHawks from every angle. However, Northeastern State’s defense withstood the test, allowing the RiverHawks to hang on for the 1-0 victory.

Five different Tigers attempted shots throughout the match, with Perkins and Taryn Schnell taking two shots and Chloe Montano, Jenna Prince and Darby Hirsch adding one shot each. Hirsch was responsible for the only shot on goal. Kneefel (7-3-2) made five saves in the match, including a sprawling save late in the first half to keep the Tigers within one.

The Tigers will play host to Nebraska-Kearney on Friday night (Nov. 1) for their final home match of the regular season. Senior night between the Tigers and Lopers will kick off at 7 p.m. at FHSU Soccer Stadium.

EDMOND, Okla. – After dropping the opening set to Central Oklahoma, the Fort Hays State volleyball team fought back to level the match with a well-played second set Saturday. But the Bronchos regained control in the next two sets, taking down the Tigers in four, 23-25, 25-21, 13-25, 17-25. The Tigers move to 6-16 overall and 3-11 in conference play, while the Bronchos are now 16-8 overall and 8-6 in MIAA action.

The teams traded points early in the first set before Fort Hays State opened up a four-point lead, 12-8. UCO captured 10 of the next 13 points to go in front, 18-15, before the Tigers battled back to regain the lead after four consecutive kills. Central Oklahoma responded by scoring four of the next five points to provide enough cushion to hold off the Tigers, 25-23.

The Tigers tightened things up in the second set, recording just two errors while outhitting the Bronchos, .292-.231. Fort Hays State trailed as late as 17-16 before rattling off four-straight points to take the lead for good. Morgan West and Emily Ellis both recorded kills before combining for a block to put FHSU in front, 20-17. UCO later closed the gap to 22-21, but a pair of Broncho errors and a kill from Tatum Bartels allowed the Tigers to level the match with a 25-21 win.

Fort Hays State opened the third set with an 8-4 lead, but a 13-1 run fueled by 10-straight points gave the Bronchos a commanding lead. The Tigers then led as late as 11-10 in the fourth set before UCO rattled off six-straight points to go in front for good.

Delaney Humm recorded a double-double for the Tigers, totaling 14 kills, 12 digs and two assists. Bartels added 10 kills, two service aces and one block. Abbie Hayes led the team with 21 digs with Taylor White and Paige Baird adding 17 digs each. Katie Darnell totaled 23 assists while White added 15. Ellis was the lone Tiger with multiple blocks (two) while chipping in seven kills.

After playing eight of 10 matches on the road in October, the Tigers will return home for three matches in a five-day stretch beginning Friday (Nov. 1) when Central Missouri comes to town. First serve is set for 6 p.m. from Gross Memorial Coliseum.