FHSU Sports Information
WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Fort Hays State fell by a score of 1-0 on Sunday (Oct. 2) at No. 2 ranked Central Missouri. The Tigers held the Jennies scoreless for the first 71 minutes of the game, but UCM finally broke through late to run its win streak to nine matches. UCM is now 9-0, while FHSU moved to 6-3-1 overall.

The Tigers fought hard to keep the Jennies off the board, but the process became even more difficult after Regan Lawler was issued a red card in the 59th minute. FHSU had to play with just 10 the remainder of the match and held the Jennies scoreless for about 12 minutes with the disadvantage. However, Jada Scott broke the scoreless tie in the 72nd minute for UCM.

The Jennies have yet to allow a goal this year, posting shutouts in all nine of their matches so far. This was the fourth 1-0 win for UCM this year. Ana Dilkes moved to 9-0 on the season in goal.

Abbie Flax fought off seven shots for the Tigers despite surrendering one goal. The Jennies were able to get off 15 shots total, compared to just five for FHSU. Only two of FHSU’s shots were on goal. Flax moved to 5-3-1 on the season.

The Tigers return home for their next two matches, facing Northwest Missouri State on Friday (Oct. 7) at 8 pm and then Missouri Western on Sunday (Oct. 9) at 11 am.

FHSU Sports Information
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Fort Hays State improved to 6-2-1 overall and 2-0 in the MIAA with a dominating 4-1 win at Northeastern State on Sunday (Oct. 2). The 17th-ranked Tigers scored three first half goals and added another after the break, giving them 13 goals over the last three matches (average of 4.33). FHSU extended its win streak to four matches.

The Tigers did not take long to get on the board as Derick Gonzalez scored his team-leading fifth goal in at the 1:30 mark. The RiverHawks responded with a goal to level the score 1-1 at 11:36, but the Tigers took the lead back for good at the 27:21 mark when Maurizio Costa scored his third goal of the season off a pass from Drew Wilson. Arsenio Chamorro added a penalty kick goal in the 38th minute to push the lead to 3-1 by halftime. Michael Cole capped the scoring for FHSU in the 56th minute with his second goal of the season.

The Tigers outshot the RiverHawks 20-6 for the match. The Tigers put 13 of their shots on goal, forcing NSU to make nine saves between goalkeepers Ryan Davis and Jackson Biles. Davis allowed all four goals before being lifted in the 57th minute. Michael Yantz made four saves for FHSU, running his record to 4-2-1 overall.

The Tigers finally return home after five straight road matches. They host Upper Iowa on Friday (Oct. 7) at 5:30 pm, then host Lindenwood on Sunday (Oct. 9) at 2 pm in another pair of MIAA matches.

HAYS, Kan. – A homecoming weekend full of Fort Hays State victories continued Saturday evening with a dominating performance from the Tiger volleyball team. FHSU cruised to a three-set victory over Lindenwood (25-20, 25-19, 25-20) to pick up its second-straight conference victory. The Tigers improved to 15-3 on the season and 3-2 in MIAA play, while the Lady Lions move to 5-9 overall and 1-3 in the league.

With the victory, Fort Hays State leveled the all-time series with Lindenwood at four wins apiece.

The Tigers hit an effective .269 for the match, picking up 45 kills and making just 13 attack errors. Nine FHSU blocks aided in limiting the Lady Lions to a .165 attack percentage.

The Lady Lions scored three quick points to take an early lead in the first set, but the Tigers stormed back to take the lead for good at 7-6 after a strong kill from Sydney Dixon on a pass from Chandler Hillman. A solo block from Rebekah Spainhour gave the Tigers a five-point lead, 18-13, and forced Lindenwood to use a timeout. The Lady Lions closed within two after breaking the huddle, but an authoritative kill from Crystal Whitten stole the momentum right back for the Tigers. Back-to-back kills from Megan Anderson gave FHSU its largest lead of the set at 23-17. After the Lady Lions held off one set point, Dixon sealed the victory with a dig and kill on a pass from Hannah Wagy.

The second set opened as a back-and-forth affair, with neither team leading by more than two until a Lindenwood attack error gave the home team a 12-9 advantage. Spainhour followed with consecutive kills, sparking a five-point Tiger run to extend a six-point lead. The visitors would not go down quietly a second time, storming back with a 7-0 run to take the lead by one. The Tigers regrouped to take the set by scoring 10 of the final 13 points in the frame. Whitten handed FHSU a set point opportunity with a kill before grabbing the victory with a booming swing of her left arm.

Lindenwood came out of the intermission rejuvenated, leading for much of the third set. Consecutive attack errors by the Lady Lions gave FHSU its first lead of the set, 16-14, forcing a timeout by the visitors. LU tied the score on two more occasions, but a four-point Tiger run highlighted by two Whitten kills put the finish line in sight for Kurt Kohler’s squad. With the Tigers holding a 22-20 lead, a kill from Whitten returned serve to the home team. Callie Christensen and Anderson teamed up for back-to-back blocks to bring the evening to a close, clinching the 25-20 set victory.

Whitten recorded match-highs in both kills (17) and digs (20), picking up her 10th double-double this season. Spainhour continued her impressive senior season, posting 13 kills to just two errors for a .367 hitting percentage while leaping for five blocks (two solo). Wagy tossed up an assist on 38 of the 45 kills in the match, adding two kills, eight digs and one block assist. Libero Kailey Klibbe totaled 14 digs and two assists while Hillman contributed 11 digs off the bench. Christensen made four blocks on the night (one solo) with Anderson chipping in three blocks and six kills.

The Tigers will return to action for a rematch with No. 3 Nebraska-Kearney Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. inside Gross Memorial Coliseum. FHSU took a set against the nationally-ranked Lopers earlier this season in Kearney, Neb., but the home team fought back to take a 3-1 victory. UNK remains unbeaten in 2016, entering Tuesday’s contest with a 19-0 record.

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State scored on four straight possessions in the first half, building a 24-6 halftime lead and beat the Lindenwood Lions 37-6 in front of 4,226 at Lewis Field Saturday afternoon. It’s the third straight win for the Tigers as they start 4-1 for the second straight year.

Chris Brown Postgame Press Conference

Rashad Dunnigan Postgame Interview

Charles Tigner Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

Charles Tigner rushed for 64 yards and a touchdown and hauled in three passes for 96 yards and a score to lead the Tiger offense that racked up a season high 477 yards.

Quarterback Jacob Mezera had his best game of the season, completing 27 of 35 passes for 292 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

The Tiger defense was solid for a second straight week, holding the Lions to 277 yards with seven sacks and an interception.

Lindenwood’s only score came on an 80-yard pass to DeSean Warren in the first quarter. The Lions (1-4) were held to four total yards in the second quarter and switched to freshman quarterback Alex Faddoul in the second half.

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – A golden goal off the foot of Thayla Dwyer handed the Fort Hays State women’s soccer team a 1-0 victory over Lindenwood Friday evening. The Tigers are now 2-0 in conference play and 6-2-1 overall, while the Lady Lions took their first conference loss to fall to 1-1 in the league and 4-3-1 in 2016.

The Tigers managed 16 shots in the contest, placing eight of those attempts on frame. Lindenwood rifled off 10 attempts in the match but put just four shots on goal, with sophomore goalkeeper Abbie Flax making the save on all four occasions. Flax improved her record to 4-2-1 on the year, placing her in a tie for third with nine career wins at FHSU. Dwyer netted her fifth goal of the season, second-most on the team.

FHSU dominated possession over the opening 45 minutes, allowing the Lady Lions just one shot attempt that sailed wide in the half. The Tigers took six shots in the opening half but were unable to find the back of the net. Junior Jasmine Beaulieu had a chance to score in the 23rd minute but instead had back-to-back shots blocked by a Lindenwood defender.

The Tigers had three more shots turned aside by the Lindenwood keeper and two others blocked in the second half. The Lady Lions turned up the pressure over the final five minutes, taking three shots after taking just four over the first 85 minutes.

Fort Hays State had the first chance to score in overtime after Kelsey Steffens had a shot saved following a corner kick, one of five corners for the Tigers in the match.

The Lady Lions put two shots on goal in the second overtime period, but Flax handled them both with ease. As the final whistle drew near, the Tigers mounted one final offensive effort when Eden Stoddard sent a ball over the defensive back line. Dwyer grabbed the pass before beating a defender to have an open look at goal. The junior forward then struck towards the left post from inside the 18-yard box, beating the keeper to give Fort Hays State its second-straight victory.

The Tigers will return to the pitch on Sunday when they face off against Central Missouri, who is currently undefeated and ranked second in the nation. The match is scheduled to commence at 1 p.m. from the South Recreation Complex in Warrensburg, Mo.

HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team accomplished something Friday night it had only done once in 25 tries – beat Central Missouri. The 14-3 (2-2 MIAA) Tigers dropped the opening set but came back to beat the No. 6 Jennies in four sets, outmatching the perennial powerhouse in every facet of the game down the stretch. With the loss, UCM falls to 12-3 overall and 2-1 in MIAA play.

The only other Tiger victory over UCM came in 2003, an opening-weekend match in Lawton, Okla. FHSU is now 1-9 against the Jennies inside Gross Memorial Coliseum. The win snapped a nine-game winning streak for the visiting Jennies.

Fort Hays State managed a .239 attack percentage in the match, holding UCM to a .178 effort. Thirteen Jennie service errors haunted the visitors, with FHSU giving away just three free points off the serve. The Tiger block party was out in full force, picking up 10 blocks on the night.

The Jennies appeared to be en route to an easy night after the first set, hitting .342 to take the frame 25-20. FHSU struggled to a .107 attack percentage in the set, picking up 10 kills and seven errors. The league-leading Tigers did not block an attempt in the frame while UCM managed three swats. The visitors never trailed in the set, leading by as many as eight after a 7-3 run made the score 21-13. Kurt Kohler’s squad didn’t roll over, scoring five of the next six points to narrow the gap to four on kills from Rebekah Spainhour, Hannah Wagy and Crystal Whitten. A kill off the hand of Callie Christensen fended off one set point before a Tiger attack error handed UCM a five-point victory.

The Tigers came alive in the second set, picking up an eye-popping .387 attack percentage while limiting the powerful Jennie offense to a .000 outing. FHSU picked up six blocks in the set, with Spainhour contributing two solo and two assists. The Black and Gold jumped out to a 3-0 lead after a pair of bizarre plays, giving them a lead they would never relinquish. Libero Kailey Klibbe served the team to six-straight points to take an 11-3 lead, with Spainhour throwing down two kills and one solo block during that stretch. The teams traded points for the rest of the match before Wagy finished things off with a quick attack at the net, giving the Tigers a 25-14 win. The Jennies’ 14 points is tied for the fewest points they have scored in a set this season (vs No. 19 Angelo State, 9/9/16).

Fort Hays State stayed hot out of the break, taking the third set 25-19. Whitten led the way with six kills, six digs and one solo block in the frame while Azlyn Cassaday added five kills on nine swings without recording an error. There were three early lead changes in the set before Whitten handed the Tigers the lead for good at 7-6. The Tigers went on a 7-1 run later in the frame fueled by three-straight kills from Cassaday, making the score 22-14. A Jennie block closed the gap to five before Whitten sealed the victory with an authoritative kill after a pass from Wagy.

Both sides fought with everything they had in the fourth set, leading to 18 ties and seven lead changes. The Jennies outhit FHSU in the final set, .195 to .119, but five service errors ultimately put the Jennies away. Neither team led by more than one point before Cassaday put away a pass from Wagy to make the score 11-9, prompting UCM to burn a timeout. The Jennies stormed back with four-straight points to take a momentary lead until another service error leveled the set at 15. There were six more ties down the stretch before Spainhour handed FHSU the lead for good at 23-22 with a powerful kill. The Jennies fought off one match point after another Spainhour kill made it 24-22, but a strong swing from Whitten following a perfect set from Wagy brought the match to a close, 25-23.

Whitten led the Tigers with 14 kills, throwing in 15 digs and one solo block through the night. Spainhour added 13 kills to just two errors for a .458 attack percentage while adding five total blocks (two solo). Cassaday came off the bench to match her career-high with nine kills, all in the third and fourth sets. Klibbe was everywhere on defense, leading the match with 18 digs. Wagy tossed up a match-high 39 assists, adding five kills on six attempts (.833 %), 10 digs and three total blocks (one solo).

The Tigers look to make it two-straight Saturday when they face off with Lindenwood at 6:30 p.m. Fans with a ticket to Saturday’s football game will receive free admission to the volleyball match later that night.

BOLIVAR, Mo. – Fort Hays State opened MIAA play with a 3-0 shutout win at Southwest Baptist on Friday afternoon. The Tigers improved to 5-2-1 overall and ran their win streak to three matches, while SBU dropped to 0-10-1 on the season.

The Tigers took the lead in the 26th minute when they were awarded a penalty kick. Maurizio Costa made good on the attempt, netting his second goal of the season. Sergio Villalba scored his first goal of the season in the 42nd minute to extend the lead to 2-0 on a nice pass into the box from Arsenio Chamorro.

FHSU tacked on one last goal in the second half at the 68:20 mark as Luis Torres knocked in his fourth goal of the year off a corner kick from Mauricio Castorino.

Michael Yantz benefitted from strong defense in goal, picking up the win. He is now 3-2-1 overall. He did not have to face any shots on goal as the defense allowed just two shots in the match. The Tigers outshot SBU 22-2 in the match. Seven of FHSU’s shots were on target with the SBU denying four.

The Tigers continue MIAA play on Sunday at Northeastern State in Tahlequah, Okla. Match time is set for 3 pm.

LAKEWOOD, Colo. – Fort Hays State had its poorest offensive effort of the season on Tuesday evening, which led to a 3-0 loss at Colorado Christian in non-conference play. The Tigers hit a season-low .099 for the match and now sit at 13-3 overall on the season.

Struggles late in the first set and a collapse midway through the second haunted the Tigers in a match where they could have easily led by two sets. FHSU led 22-20 in the first set, but three attacking errors allowed CCU to escape with the set. Two of the errors back-to-back pushed CCU into the lead 23-22, then another on the final point handed CCU the set 25-23.

The Tigers looked well on their way to leveling the match in the second, building a 12-6 lead, but six attacking errors in a matter of seven plays turned a 13-10 FHSU lead into a 16-14 CCU advantage. The Tigers reeled off four straight kills to take the lead back 18-16, but could not keep the positive vibes rolling as three consecutive errors handed the lead right back to CCU, 20-18. Though the Tigers tied the score twice late, CCU took the set with kills on three of the set’s final four points.

The struggles continued in the third set as Colorado Christian never trailed. The Tigers fought uphill to tie the set three times, the latest occurrence at 15-15, but CCU held off the Tigers to improve to 9-5 overall on the season. It was the first match this season the Tigers did not win a set and also the first non-conference loss of the season for FHSU.

Rebekah Spainhour was the only Tiger, other than setter Hannah Wagy, to hit above .200 for the evening. She finished at .400 for the match, producing nine kills on 20 swings with just one error. Wagy hit .500 with four kills on eight attacks. But the rest of the team combined for 28 attacking errors. Crystal Whitten had a team-high 10 kills, Wagy had 34 assists, and Kailey Klibbe led in digs with 22. Spainhour had a team-best four blocks.

Colorado Christian hit just .198 as a team, but won with tremendous effort on several scrambling plays. The Cougars found ways to keep several balls alive, frustrating the Tiger offense by repeatedly scoring points out of chaos. Sophia Proano led CCU in kills with 12, hitting .312 for the match. Angela Jurek added eight kills and hit .500. Kylee Wurster had 31 assists and Mariela Gonzalez had a team-best 22 digs for CCU.

The Tigers look to shake off the rough evening when they return to MIAA play hosting No. 6 ranked Central Missouri on Friday night (Sept. 30) in Hays. They also host Lindenwood on Saturday evening at 6:30 pm.

FHSU Sports Information

Fort Hays State Weekly Football Press Conference
September 27, 2016

Fort Hays State head football coach Chris Brown along with select players met with members of the media on Tuesday afternoon at Lewis Field.

The Tigers (3-1) are coming off a 34-7 road win at Northeastern State this past Saturday. Fort Hays State is back at home for their homecoming game this Saturday afternoon against Lindenwood (1-3) who’s coming off a 50-19 home loss to Pittsburg State. Kickoff is at 2 p.m. at Lewis Field.

Coach Chris Brown

 

RS-Freshman Tight End Matt Wendelberger

RS-Sophomore Bandit Back Doyin Jibowu

RS-Senior Linebacker Alex Schmidtberger

WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Sophomore Hannah Perkins turned in a solid showing at the MIAA Fall Preview held at Mules National Golf Course. She finished seventh with matching rounds of 75 and just 8-over par overall, taking seventh alone. Her total of 150 led the Tigers, which placed 13th as a team.

Perkins finished near the top among some of the MIAA’s most decorated players. She was fifth among MIAA competitors. Central Missouri’s Olivia Sobaski and Missouri Western’s Shi Qing Ong tied for first individually at 2-over par (144), with Sobaski taking medalist honors on her home course in a playoff. Marla Souvannasing of Central Oklahoma finished in a tie for third at 148 and Northeastern State’s Baylee Price tied for fifth at 149. The other players tying for third and fifth were from non-MIAA schools, giving Perkins the fifth-best score for MIAA competitors in the tournament.

Perkins turned in her rounds of 75 with steady play each day, recording 23 pars out of 36 holes. She also had three birdies to her credit, nine bogeys, and just one double bogey for the tournament.

Madison Roether tied for 54th with rounds of 81 and 89. Kelsey McCarthy (99, 83), Kylie McCarthy (92, 90) and Taylor DeBoer (98, 84) all tied for 72nd with totals of 182.

Lindenwood University won the tournament with a score of 609. Missouri Western was second with a 617 and Central Missouri was third at 624. Fort Hays State shot 677, but finished eighth among MIAA teams.

FHSU men place 12th at MSSU Fall Invitational
MONKEY ISLAND, Okla. – Dalton Ayres led the Fort Hays State men’s golf team at the Missouri Southern Men’s Fall Invitational, hosted at Shangri-La Country Club in Oklahoma. Ayres had rounds of 79, 77, and 75 to post a total score of 231 and tie for 42nd place.

Colton Bobek tied for 61st place with rounds of 82, 82 and 79 for a total of 243. Isaiah Grover tied for 64th place producing three identical rounds of 82. Marcus Willey finished 66th alone with rounds of 83, 76, and 90. Cash Hobson was 68th position with rounds of 86, 82 and 84.

Central Oklahoma took the team title with an aggregate score of 860. Oklahoma Christian placed second at 869. Fort Hays State finished 12tj as team with 963.

Alberto Ruiz Nava of Central Oklahoma claimed the individual title with a low score of -7 and a total score of 209 (71-69-69).

FHSU Sports Information
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State moved up to two spots in the most recent release of the NSCAA Division II Top 25 Poll on Tuesday (Sept. 27). The Tigers are now ranked No. 17 in the nation.

The Tigers have been in every poll so far this year, ranked between No. 15 and No. 20 in the nation. The Tigers were ranked No. 15 in the preseason poll, slid to No. 20 in the first regular season poll, then bounced from No. 18 to No. 19 and now No. 17.

Fort Hays State and Lindenwood are the two programs from the MIAA referenced in the poll. Lindenwood is the first team listed among the receiving votes list.

Fort Hays State opens MIAA play this week with road matches at Southwest Baptist and Northeastern State.

Below is the NSCAA Division II Top 25 Poll for September 27, 2016.

Rank School Prev. W-L-T
1 Rockhurst University 3 7-0-1
2 Southern New Hampshire University 4 6-0-0
3 St. Edward’s University 5 8-0-0
4 Simon Fraser University 6 7-0-0
5 University Of Charleston 1 7-1-0
6 Pfeiffer University 7 6-1-0
7 University Of Tampa 15 4-0-1
8 LIU Post 8 8-0-0
9 Regis University 10 7-0-0
10 Wingate University 9 6-0-0
11 Barry University 11 5-1-0
12 California State University-Los Angeles 13 4-0-3
13 Drury University 16 7-1-0
14 Limestone College 14 7-0-0
15 Lynn University 2 7-1-1
16 Adelphi University 17 6-1-0
17 Fort Hays State University 19 4-2-1
18 Tusculum College 18 7-0-0
19 Gannon University 25 4-2-1
20 Cal Poly Pomona NR 7-2-1
21 Metropolitan State University of Denver NR 5-2-1
22 Millersville University 20 5-2-1
23 Tiffin University 12 6-1-0
24 Florida Tech NR 5-0-1
25 Midwestern State University 23 5-2-1
Also receiving votes: Lindenwood University (14), Merrimack College (6), University Of Missouri-St. Louis (6), University of California-San Diego (3), Notre Dame College (3), Maryville University of St. Louis (3), Palm Beach Atlantic University (1).