TOPEKA, Kan. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team dropped two matches Saturday afternoon inside Lee Arena on the campus of Washburn University. The Tigers were unable to stop the Ichabods in the opener, falling in three sets against Washburn before losing a four-set match against Oklahoma Baptist. The Tigers dip to 10-18 overall and 2-11 in conference play, while Washburn moves to 16-10 (7-7 MIAA) and the Bison are now 15-11.

Washburn 3, Fort Hays State 0 (19-25, 24-26, 17-25)
The Tigers had their chances in the opening match of the day, but a strong Washburn team rallied at opportune times to secure a sweep of FHSU. Fort Hays State managed a .145 attack percentage for the game, while Washburn countered with a .225 swing rate. Magan Alexander led the Tigers with 11 kills, with Kylie Rollman (10) also reaching double figures. Taylor White recorded 25 digs, a season-high for three set matches.

Fort Hays State kept things close in the opening set, rallying from as many as five down to tie things up at 16 thanks to a 6-1 run. The teams then traded points for the next few rallies until Washburn turned a 19-19 tie into a 25-19 win thanks to six consecutive points.

After recording a .125 hitting percentage in the opening set, the Tigers rallied back to post a .271 swing rate in the second frame. The Tigers traded the lead with the Ichabods for much of the second set, ultimately scoring three in a row on kills from Rollman, Logan Wallick and Callie Christensen to reach set point, 24-21. Washburn found a way to rally back, however, scoring the next five points to steal the set, 26-24.

The Tigers came out of the break on a mission, quickly jumping in front by five to open the third set, 14-9. The tides started to turn at that point, as the Ichabods went on a 16-3 run to close the set and seal the 3-0 victory.

Oklahoma Baptist 3, Fort Hays State 1 (13-25, 25-22, 19-25, 11-25)
Fort Hays State got off to a slow start in the second match of the day, but recovered to tie things up after the second set. Oklahoma Baptist regained momentum after the break, holding the FHSU offense at bay to win in four sets. The Bison posted a .259 hitting percentage while holding the Tigers to a .074 attack rate. Alexander again led the Tigers offensively, tallying seven kills. Christensen picked up six blocks in the match while adding five kills.

The Bison took control early in the first set, jumping out to an 8-2 lead. The Tigers were unable to bounce back, dropping the opening frame 25-13.

The second set was a different story, as the Tigers battled with OBU every step of the way. Neither team led by more than three for the entirety of the set, with the lead changing hands seven times. Oklahoma Baptist used a 3-1 run to jump back in front, 22-21, before three blocks from Christensen helped Fort Hays State rattled off four-straight points to secure the set, 25-22.

The teams went back-and-forth once again to open the third set, with Fort Hays State using a 4-1 run and a correct challenge from Brandi Fairbank to tie things up at 15. The Bison took control after that, going on a 10-4 run to close the third set before securing the match with a 25-11 victory in set four.

The Tigers will be back in action Sunday afternoon when they travel to Emporia, Kan. to face off with Emporia State. First serve is set for 4 p.m.

Fort Hays State, ranked No. 7 in the nation, looks to stay on top of the MIAA standings on Saturday when it hosts long-time rival Emporia State at Lewis Field Stadium in Hays. The 92nd installment of the series is set to begin at 2 pm. FHSU enters at 8-0, while ESU is 4-4.

The game can be heard on Tiger Radio Mix-103 beginning with the Auto World Pregame Show at 1 pm. Listen Live

The Tigers will be looking for a second straight win over the Hornets in Hays. The home team has won the last two games in the series. ESU took the meeting in Emporia last year 24-16, when the Hornets were No. 10 in the nation. Emporia State entered the season with strong hopes of MIAA contention as the preseason No. 4 ranked team in the nation, but has struggled to a 4-4 mark so far.

FHSU enters the week still tied for first place in the MIAA with two-time defending national champion Northwest Missouri State. The No. 1 ranked Bearcats are also 8-0. NWMSU plays at Pittsburg State this week. In the first edition of NCAA Super Region 3 Rankings, NWMSU is No. 1, FHSU is No. 3, and Central Missouri is No. 6. The top seven teams in the super region are selected to compete in the NCAA Division II Playoffs at the end of the regular season. FHSU is in position to make its first NCAA Playoff appearance since 1995.

The Tiger offense has produced over 200 rushing yards in each of the last three weeks. Leading the rushing attack is Kenneth Iheme, averaging 110.4 yards per game. He has rushed for over 100 yards in each of the last four games and now leads the MIAA in rushing. Charles Tigner is averaging 6.7 yards per carry and adds an average of 69.3 yards per game.

Jacob Mezera is completing 67 percent of his passes this season for 1,944 yards and 16 touchdowns. Monterio Burchfield has been the top receiver for the Tigers with 783 yards on 36 catches. He is averaging 97.9 yards receiving per game to rank second in the MIAA and has reached the endzone eight times.

Defensively, Jose Delgado leads the team in tackles with 64, while adding 3.5 sacks. Nathan Shepherd is the team leader in sacks with four. Doyin Jibowu leads in interceptions with four, while Kamon Clayton has broken up a team-high 11 passes.

The Tigers will be looking to break the school record for wins in a season. Fort Hays State has seen eight 8-win seasons in its history, but this year’s team looks to push that mark further with three weeks remaining in the regular season.

Game Promotions
–Make a Difference Day: Fans attending the football game on Saturday are invited to bring one or more items (non-perishable food, new clothing, hygiene products) or consider making a monetary donation to the Hope Pantry. Collection sites will be located at each entry into Lewis Field. Those who contribute will receive a raffle ticket for an exclusive Tiger Tailgate Package, including a reserved tailgate spot for the 2018 season, along with a cooler and other items for the perfect tailgating experience! The prize package will be given away at halftime.

-The annual Costumes and Candy event will take place during Saturday’s game as well. Kids Pre-school-12 years old will get into the game for FREE if they wear their Halloween Costume. There will also be a registration table outside the entrance on the east side of Lewis Field to sign up for the Trunk or Treat which will occur between the 3^rd and 4^th quarter. The first 100 kids to register and wear a costume will get a free book courtesy of the KNEA-Student Program at FHSU.

HAYS, Kan. – After a two-game losing-skid, the Fort Hays State women’s soccer team got back on track as they defeated Nebraska-Kearney 1-0 at home. The Tigers avenged an early season loss to the Lopers with the win, and improve to 9-5-3 overall and 6-3-1 in MIAA play. The win also helped the Tigers secure the No. 4 seed and an MIAA Conference Tournament match on their home field next Wednesday (Nov. 1) at 7 p.m.

Both teams heading to the locker room scoreless after the first half as neither team was able to net a goal in the first 45 minutes. The blistering cold added another level to the match as the players tried to keep their legs warm in an effort to score. Only three shots were taken in the first half with the Tigers attempting just one compared to two from the Lopers. Neither goalie on the field was able to collect a save as all shots soared past outside the goal.

With the second half underway, the Tigers got their offensive minds working as they were able to outshoot Nebraska-Kearney 13-2 in the final period. Just ten minutes into the half, Jasmine Beaulieu netted her second goal of the season off a double-assist from Eden Stoddard and Olympia Katsouridis. The ball slipt past Ali Hirschman on the right to put the Tigers up 1-0 over the Lopers. This goal would go on to be the game-winner as UNK was unable to hit the back of the net from either of their two attempts.

With the win, the Tigers break their two-match losing streak and pick up their ninth win this season. Senior goalkeeper Kristen Thompson earned the win in net and improves to 6-3-1 as the anchor for the Tigers this season. Thompson has a team-leading 41 saves in her 10 matches played this year. Hirschman gets the loss for the Lopers in net, and drops to 3-9-2 on the year. Hirschman accounted for the only five saves from any goalie to participate in the match.

The Tigers sent their five seniors out in style with the win as Stoddard, Thompson, Beaulieu, Baylie Schmitz and Silvana Romero all walked away with a win in their final regular-season home match as FHSU soccer players. The seniors now boast a cumulative record of 48-23-9 overall with the victory tonight.

The Tigers will be back in action on Sunday (Oct. 29) in their final regular-season match of 2017 as they travel east to Washburn. Earlier this season, the Ichabods defeated the Tigers 1-0. After that contest, the Tigers will enter the MIAA conference tournament as the No. 4 seed on Wednesday as the first-round gets underway at 7 p.m.

HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team outlasted bitter conditions as they defeated the Upper Iowa peacocks 5-2 on Thursday evening. The Tigers improved to 9-5-2 overall and 6-1 in MIAA play as the Peacocks dipped to 5-9 on the year and 0-6 in conference play.

It didn’t take long for the Tigers to get on the board as Fort Hays State utilized the brisk wind behind their backs and junior Tobias Patino connected on a pass to Derick Gonzalez who then set up Abdoulaye Cisse to score the first goal of the game in the ninth minute. Cisse scored his eighth goal of the season and Gonzalez kept his team record streak of consecutive matches tallying a point alive with his 12th assist on the year.

The Tigers went into halftime with a little help from the Peacocks as they scored an own goal in the 45th minute to push the Tiger lead to 2-0. With the wind advantage, the Tigers were able to get 11 shots and five shots on goal in the first period.

The Peacocks were determined to get on the board out of the break with the wind at their backs and got what they ordered. Upper Iowa scored their first goal of the match in the 50th minute as Efrain Gonzalez, Jr set up Italo Martins with a through ball that Martins lobbed over the head of Michael Yantz and found the back of the net to cut the Tiger lead in half, 2-1.

After a sequence of four straight shots from Brian Ness, Benji Granillo, Raul Fierro and Granillo again, Gonzalez was able to sneak one past the keeper for his team-leading ninth goal of the season on the rebound from Granillo’s blocked shot to give the Tigers the 3-1 advantage in the 61st minute. The Peacocks were able to find a hole in the Tiger defense to cut into the lead once again roughly two minutes later on a flick off of a corner kick delivery from Ryan Crabtree with Tate Lofdahl scoring his first goal of the season.

The Tigers struck again in the 72nd minute of the match when Nathan De La Hoya, Gonzalez and Ness dribbled the ball between each other in the box and Ness took advantage and delivered a strike in the back left corner of the net doubling the Tigers lead to 4-2. Ness picked up his second goal of the season and Gonzalez added another assist to his increase his season total to 13 and now owning the season record for most assists in year in program history.

FHSU was not done on this blustery fall night as Fierro earned his seventh score of the year on a blocked shot attempt from Luis Mendez that beat keeper Connor Rortvedt and gave the Tigers the 5-2 lead in the 88th minute.

Yantz earned the victory in goal for the Tigers tonight as he improved his overall record to 7-4-2 on the season. Fort Hays State outshot Upper Iowa 27 to 6 in the match, with a 16-5 advantage of shots on frame.

The Tigers are back in action on Sunday (Oct. 29) as they host the Lindenwood Lions for at least a share of the conference title with a win. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Fort Hays State wrestling team was picked third in the 2017-18 MIAA Preseason Coaches’ Poll, released on Wednesday (Oct.25).

Nebraska-Kearney tops the poll as the favorite to win. The Lopers, the MIAA Tournament champion five straight years, received four first-place votes just ahead of Central Oklahoma, the defending MIAA dual champion, which received the other two first-place votes. Lindenwood was tabbed fourth and rounding out the final two spots are Central Missouri and Newman.

It will be a young team again for the Tigers as they have several new wrestlers looking to shine on the mat. Returning this year is All-American sophomore Brandon Ball who finished sixth at the NCAA Championships last season. Also returning are a pair of sophomores, Greg Tooley and Christian Lance, who reached the NCAA Championships but dropped out one round before qualifying for All-American status.

The Tigers will open up the season with the annual Black and Gold scrimmage on Thursday (Nov. 2) at 7 p.m.

Below is the complete MIAA preseason poll:

2017-18 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Nebraska-Kearney (4) 24
2. Central Oklahoma (2) 22
3. Fort Hays State 16
4. Lindenwood 14
5. Central Missouri 9
6. Newman 5

The Fort Hays State Women’s Soccer team remains at No. 8 in the NCAA Region Rankings released on Wednesday (Oct. 25). The Tigers have claimed the eighth spot in now both set of rankings this season. The Tigers are 8-5-3 overall so far in their first season under head coach Blake Reynolds with just two regular-season MIAA matches remaining.

Fort Hays State remains one of four schools from the MIAA in the top eight of the Central Region rankings. Central Missouri has captured the No. 1 spot for the second-consecutive release at 16-0 overall. Missouri Western moved up to No. 3 at 14-2-0, while Northeastern State slides up to No. 5 at 13-2-0. FHSU defeated Missouri Western earlier this season, but fell recently to Northeastern State. The Tigers also tied the No. 6 team in the region, Augustana (S.D.) in a neutral site match earlier this year. Six teams are selected to compete in the Central Regional of the NCAA Tournament.

Fort Hays State advanced to the Central Regional Final of the NCAA Tournament last year, where it faced Central Missouri. The Tigers and Jennies were co-champs of the MIAA last year in the regular season.

Below are the NCAA Central Region Rankings for October 25, 2017.

Rank Team Division II Record In-Region Record
1 Central Missouri 16-0-0 16-0-0
2 Bemidji State 13-0-2 13-0-2
3 Missouri Western 14-2-0 14-2-0
4 Minnesota State 13-2-1 13-2-1
5 Northeastern State 13-2-0 13-2-0
6 Augustana (S.D.) 10-2-4 10-2-4
7 Oklahoma Baptist 11-1-2 11-1-2
8 Fort Hays State 8-5-3 8-5-3

KEARNEY, Neb. – Fort Hays State fell in straight sets at No. 7 ranked Nebraska-Kearney on Tuesday evening (Oct. 24). The Lopers took the match by scores of 25-18, 25-21, and 25-15 to remain on top of the MIAA standings, moving to 24-2 overall and 11-1 in the MIAA. FHSU moved to 10-16 overall and 2-10 in the MIAA.

The Tigers held small leads several times early in the first set, but with the score tied 12-12 the Lopers went on a 7-1 burst to take a comfortable lead. UNK cruised the remainder of the set, outhitting FHSU .222 to .093.

Another 7-1 run by the Lopers early in the second set put the Tigers at arm’s length. UNK maintained the comfortable margin nearly the entire set, leading by as many as seven points a couple times before FHSU made a late push, but it was too little, too late though. FHSU went on a 4-0 run to make it 24-21 before UNK collected the clinching point of the set.

The Tigers kept the third set close early, tying the Lopers at 6-6 and pulling within one at 12-11. However, UNK closed out the match on a 13-4 run, scoring the final four points of the match.

Kylie Rollman had a big match for the Tigers, producing a .481 hitting percentage on 15 kills. She had just two errors in 27 attempts. Magan Alexander chipped in seven kills. Amirah Bentley led the Tigers in assists with 19, though Becca Page took over the setting duties in the third set and produced nine. Taylor White was the only Tiger to reach double figures in digs with 21, averaging seven per set.

For UNK, Kendall Schroer led the way with 14 kills and a hitting percentage of .355. Julianne Jackson added 10 kills, while Anna Squiers was very efficient hitting .615 with nine kills and just one error on 13 attempts. Lindsey Smith churned out 36 assists, while Ellie McDonnell led four players that reached double figures in digs with 14.

The Tigers continue their road swing in Topeka on Saturday (Oct. 28). The Tigers will take on Washburn in conference play at 1 pm before staying at Lee Arena and playing a non-conference match immediately following against Oklahoma Baptist at 3 pm. FHSU defeated Oklahoma Baptist 3-0 at the MIAA-GAC Crossover Tournament in Bethany, Oklahoma earlier this year.

MONKEY ISLAND, Okla. – The Fort Hays State men’s golf team wrapped up the fall portion of their schedule with an eighth place finish overall and fourth among MIAA teams at the Missouri Southern State University Fall Invitational (Oct. 23-24). The event was hosted at Shangri-La Country Club in Monkey Island, Okla.

Skyler Tebo led the Tigers with a top-15 finish for the first time this season as he finished tied for 12th after shooting rounds of 77, 73 and 76 to complete the week 10-over par (226). Tebo finished fifth among MIAA competitors for the tournament.

Mac McNish finished in a tie for 29th after firing rounds of 78, 73 and 78 for a total of 229. Seve Sites navigated the course with rounds of 81, 78 and 77 and finished tied for 48th individually and Colton Bobek claimed a tied for 64th finish with rounds of 84, 76 and 79. Isaiah Grover shot rounds of 82, 83 and 88.

Central Oklahoma took the team title with a ten-over par (289-284-301) finish. The Bronchos finished the tournament with an 874. Missouri-St. Louis claimed second as a team with a score of 891 and Harding finished third (898). Mason Banger of Central Oklahoma captured the individual title with a two-under par performance and a total of 214 for the week.

Fort Hays State Weekly Football Press Conference
October 24, 2017

Fort Hays State head coach Chris Brown conducted his weekly press conference in advance of the Tigers home game with Emporia State Saturday afternoon at Lewis Field.

Brown and select players met with the media inside Lewis Field on Tuesday, a session that can be heard by clicking on the links below.

Head Coach Chris Brown

Senior Tight End J.J. Lewis

Junior Quarterback Jacob Mezera

LIBERTY, Mo. – After moving up one spot in the AFCA Division II Poll on Monday, the Tigers moved up the same amount in the D2Football.com Poll, released on Tuesday (Oct. 24). The Tigers are No. 8 this week, while they are No. 7 in the AFCA Poll.

Unlike the AFCA Poll, where FHSU is among eight undefeated teams at the top of the list, the D2Football.com Poll has a pair of one-loss teams in front of FHSU. Those two teams, Ashland (No. 4) and Ferris State (No. 7) are in Super Region 3 along with FHSU. Indianapolis, which is No. 6 in the AFCA Poll, is No. 10 in the D2Football.com Poll. The D2Football.com Poll has five teams from Super Region 3 in the Top 10.

Northwest Missouri State remains No. 1 in both national polls. Central Missouri (No. 17) joins FHSU and NWMSU as MIAA schools in the Top 25 of the D2Football.com Poll.

Below is the D2Football.com Poll for October 24, 2017.

Team Record Previous
1 Northwest Missouri State 8-0 1
2 Indiana (Pa.) 8-0 2
3 Minnesota State 8-0 3
4 Ashland 7-1 5
5 Shepherd 7-0 6
6 Midwestern State 6-0 7
7 Ferris State 6-1 8
8 Fort Hays State 8-0 9
9 Texas A&M-Commerce 6-1 10
10 Indianapolis 8-0 11
11 Winona State 8-0 12
12 Central Washington 8-0 14
13 Sioux Falls 7-1 15
14 Grand Valley State 6-2 4
15 Assumption 7-0 16
16 Wingate 7-0 18
17 Central Missouri 6-2 20
18 Virginia State 7-0 21
19 Colorado Mesa 7-1 22
20 West Georgia 6-2 24
21 Humboldt State 6-1 25
22 CSU-Pueblo 6-2 23
23 West Alabama 6-2 13
24 Minnesota Duluth 6-2 NR
25 California 6-2 NR

INDIANAPOLIS – The NCAA released its first set of Super Region Rankings for football on Monday (Oct. 23). Fort Hays State is ranked third in Super Region 3 in the initial release. The Super Region consists of four conferences, the MIAA, GLIAC, GLVC, and GAC.

The top seven teams in the Super Region at the end of the regular season will be selected to compete in the NCAA Division II Playoffs. Fort Hays State is seeking its first appearance in the playoffs since 1995.

The nation’s top ranked team and winner of two consecutive national championships, Northwest Missouri State, is the top ranked team in Super Region 3. The Bearcats have won 38 consecutive games dating back to the start of the 2015 season. Ranked second is University of Indianapolis from the GLVC, the nation’s No. 6 ranked team, while Fort Hays State, ranked No. 7 nationally, is third. All three teams are undefeated at 8-0.

Ashland and Ferris State of the GLIAC are the only remaining one-loss teams in the region. Ashland holds the upper hand between the teams by winning the head-to-head match up. Central Missouri is ranked No. 6 in the region at 6-2, while Grand Valley State is No. 7, also at 6-2. All seven teams in the Super Region rankings are in the Top 25 of the AFCA Division II National Poll.

Arkansas Tech and Ouachita Baptist are currently in a four-way tie for first place among teams from the GAC and hold the No. 8 and No. 9 spots respectively. But in football, automatic bids are not given to conference champions, so any team among the four-way tie for first in the GAC will have to play well down the stretch for playoff consideration. Rounding out the rankings is Tiffin at No. 10, a member of the GLIAC with a record of 5-3.

The playoff format gives a bye to the Super Region’s #1 seed, while #2 plays #7, #3 plays #6, and #4 plays #5 in the opening round. If the playoffs started today, the current rankings would produce match-ups that have already occurred this year in all three first round match-ups. But, there are three weeks remaining in the regular season and rankings are likely to shift with several key meetings among teams inside the rankings.

Below are the Super Region 3 Rankings for October 23, 2017. CLICK HERE for all Super Region Rankings.

Rank	Team	In-Region Record	Division II Record
1	Northwest Missouri State	8-0	8-0
2	Indianapolis	8-0	8-0
3	Fort Hays State	8-0	8-0
4	Ashland	7-1	7-1
5	Ferris State	6-1	6-1
6	Central Missouri	6-2	6-2
7	Grand Valley State	6-2	6-2
8	Ouachita Baptist	6-2	6-2
9	Arkansas Tech	6-2	6-2
10	Tiffin	5-3	5-3