Fort Hays State Football heads to St. Charles, Missouri to face Lindenwood University on Saturday (Sept. 30). Ranked No. 14 in the latest AFCA Poll, Fort Hays State enters the game at 4-0 and looks to continue its best start since the 1983 season. Lindenwood enters at 2-2, but is coming off a big 45-11 win at Pittsburg State last week.

You can listen to Saturday’s game on Tiger Radio Mix-103 or by clicking on this link. Listen live

Fort Hays State is off to the best start in its NCAA Division II history. Not only are the Tigers looking to run an overall win streak of six games (dating back to last year) to seven, they are looking for their fifth straight win over Lindenwood. The Tigers are 2-0 against the Lions in St. Charles and have defeated the Lions each year since 2013. Lindenwood won the first-ever meeting between the teams in 2012 in Hays, so overall the Tigers enter with a 4-1 advantage in the all-time series.

Fort Hays State enters the week tied for first place in the MIAA with two-time defending national champion Northwest Missouri State, which continues its run at No. 1 in the national rankings. The Bearcats face Central Missouri at Arrowhead Stadium this weekend. Washburn and Central Missouri are just a game back of Northwest Missouri and Fort Hays State, both at 3-1.

The Tiger defense has been solid so far this year, sitting at ninth in the nation in points allowed per game (11.0) and 13^th in total defense (269 yards allowed per game). The Tigers have the sixth-best run defense in the nation, allowing 62.3 yards per game on the ground and have yet to allow more than 100 yards on the ground in a game this year. The Tigers have twice held opponents under 50 rushing yards this season. The numbers will be put to the test this weekend as Lindenwood averages 228.8 rushing yards per game. The Lions average 31 points per game and 438.3 yards of total offense per game.

Fort Hays State counters with the best scoring offense in the MIAA at 36.3 points per game and the conference’s top passing offense at 291.3 yards per game. The Tigers add 165.3 yards per game on the ground, giving them a total offense average of 456.5 yards per game. Lindenwood is allowing 366 yards per game and 20.5 points per game. The Lions have the second-best pass defense in the conference, allowing 169.8 yards per game through the air.

Jacob Mezera has been efficient for the Tigers at quarterback, completing 69.6 percent of his passes for 1,085 yards and nine touchdowns this season. He averages 271.3 yards per game. Kenneth Iheme is averaging a team-best 114.5 all-purpose yards per game. He is the team’s leading rusher with 303 yards, averaging 75.8 per game. Monterio Burchfield and Tyler Bacon each have a team-high 19 receptions, while Burchfield leads the team in receiving yards at 325. Layne Bieberlie has 18 catches for 245 yards this year.

On the defensive side of the ball, Connor Shedeed leads the team in tackles with 27, followed by Tanner Hoekman with 25. Doyin Jibowu picked up the team’s first interception of the season last week. Wyatt Parker and Nathan Shepherd lead the team in sacks, each with 1.5 for the season.

HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team defeated the Oklahoma Baptist Bison 3-0 on Thursday night (Sept. 28) in the first of two non-conference home matches this weekend. The Tigers improve to 3-4-2 on the season, while the Bison dip to 2-5-1 overall.

Abdoulaye Cisse got the scoring started for the Tigers with his third goal of the season on a delivery from Raul Fierro and Derick Gonzalez in the 12th minute. Later in the first half, Fierro added a goal to his season total with his fourth on a header from six yards away, with an assist from Cisse and Gonzalez. The Tigers took a 2-0 lead into halftime. Nathan De La Hoya scored the third and final goal on the night as Cisse picked up his second assist, pushing their lead to 3-0. Cisse rifled a shot off the diving keeper that De La Hoya collected to score his first goal of the season. Michael Yantz picked up his third victory of the season in goal, moving to 3-3-2.

Fort Hays State outshot OBU 14-7. Yantz made two critical saves early in the second half, but the Bison never threatened again.

The Tigers will be back in action Saturday (Sept. 30) as they host the Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm for an afternoon matchup set to begin at 1:30 p.m.

The Fort Hays State volleyball team heads south in search of its first conference victory this weekend, facing off with No. 9 Central Oklahoma Friday before dueling Pittsburg State on Saturday. Both matches are slated to begin at 6 p.m.

The Tigers dropped their first three conference matches at home over the last week, moving to 8-9 overall on the year. Fort Hays State leads the country with 776 assists while ranking second after accumulating 821 kills through 17 matches this season.

Amirah Bentley orchestrates the Tiger offense, sending up 563 assists to date to rank 15th in Division II. Logan Wallick picked up 11 kills in just three sets Tuesday against Nebraska-Kearney, raising her average to a team-best 2.90 kills per set. Callie Christensen has been a prominent force at the net, leading the team in hitting percentage (.234) and blocks (74).

FHSU at #9 Central Oklahoma • Friday, September 29 • 6 p.m. • UCO leads all-time series, 14-10
Edmond, Okla. • Hamilton Field House
The Tigers will face off with a ranked opponent for the third-straight match Friday when they go up against the ninth-ranked Bronchos. Central Oklahoma enters the weekend on a 13-game winning streak, dropping only one set since September 2. The Bronchos are 16-1 overall and 3-0 in conference play so far this year, easily sweeping Southwest Baptist, Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State to open MIAA play.

Central Oklahoma holds a 14-10 edge in the all-time series, including victories in the last two meetings. FHSU last beat the Bronchos in 2014, a four-set victory in Edmond (10/18/14). The Tigers are 2-6 against UCO since the Bronchos joined the MIAA in 2012.

The Bronchos rank 10th in the country in attack percentage, leading the MIAA with a .272 swing rate. Their defense is nearly as efficient as their offense, limiting opponents to a .132 attack rate, third-best in the conference.

Taylor Bevis is the go-to threat for the Bronchos at the net, leading the conference and ranking fourth in the nation with 5.05 kills per set. However, setter McKenzie Fyfe (9.72 assists per set) has several other effective options to utilize on offense, with Jordan Spence (.334), Alexis Washington (.328) and Karyn Chrisman (.306) all carrying attack percentages better than .300.

Head coach Edgar Miraku has developed a powerhouse since taking over in 2012, earning a 142-43 record in five-plus seasons.

FHSU at Pittsburg State • Saturday, September 30 • 6 p.m. • FHSU leads all-time series, 32-27
Pittsburg, Kan. • John Lance Arena
Fort Hays State will wrap up the quick two-game road swing Saturday against Pittsburg State. The Gorillas have limped to a 3-12 record this season, including six-straight losses heading into the weekend. They are 0-3 to open conference play, dropping a five-setter against Southwest Baptist before being swept by Missouri Southern and Central Oklahoma.

The Tigers have won three-straight against the Gorillas, helping them extend a 32-27 lead in the all-time series. PSU last knocked off the Tigers in 2014, earning a five-set win in Pittsburg (9/27/14).

The Gorillas rank 11th in the conference in attack percentage, swinging at a .144 clip so far this year. Carolina VanBuskirk is among the league leaders in service aces, compiling 16 to date. Junior Lauren Regier leads the team offensively, totaling 164 kills (2.93 k/s) and a .239 swing rate through 15 matches.

Second year head coach Jen Gomez, who has compiled a 9-36 record in her career at PSU, leads the Gorillas. Pittsburg State was picked to finish 10th in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll.

HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State volleyball gave fifth-ranked Nebraska-Kearney Lopers all they could handle Tuesday evening (Sept. 26) inside Gross Memorial Coliseum, but the visitors bounced back from a second-set defeat to take the match, 3-1 (19-25, 25-23, 15-25, 18-25). The Tigers fall to 8-9 overall and 0-3 in the MIAA, while the Lopers are now 13-1 this season and 3-0 in league play.

Interim head coach Brandi Fairbank

The Tigers hit .124 in the match, better than UNK’s opponent average of .111 for the season. The perennial powers countered with a .230 attack percentage, including three sets with swing rates better than .260. Fort Hays State picked up two more blocks than UNK, 10-8, but the Lopers had a strong edge in digs, picking up a season-high 92 compared to 79 for the home team.

Tatum Bartels had a strong night for the Tigers, totaling nine kills and six blocks while making just two errors to compile a .292 attack percentage. Logan Wallick picked up a team-high 11 kills after playing just three sets, swinging at a .182 clip. Kylie Rollman also reached double-figures in kills, chipping in 10 kills and six blocks. Libero Taylor White totaled a team-best 23 digs while adding the lone service ace in the match for either team. Amiriah Bentley tossed up 38 assists, also adding nine digs, three kills and one block.

UNK’s Tara Ziegelbein picked up a match-high 17 kills and a .469 attack percentage while chipping in four blocks on defense. Lindsey Smith tossed up 52 assists for the Lopers, adding four kills, seven digs and two blocks.

Fort Hays State kept things close to open the first set, never trailing by more than two until UNK went on a 5-1 run to stretch the advantage to 14-10. A kill from Magan Alexander triggered a three-point run for the Tigers, culminated by White’s service ace to narrow the gap to 14-13. UNK proceeded to score the next six points, taking a commanding seven-point lead. The Tigers were unable to get any closer than five points for the remainder of the set, ultimately dropping the frame 25-19.

The Lopers jumped out to an early lead in the second frame, quickly leading 6-3. Multiple kills from Sydney Dixon and a block from Dixon and Bartels helped the Tigers respond with a 5-2 run, tying things up at eight. Another big block from Bartels and Rollman put FHSU in front 12-10 later in the set, prompting a UNK timeout. After the Tigers stretched the lead to 15-12, the visitors put together a four-point run to take back the lead, 16-15. Trailing 18-16 three points later, the Tigers muscled together three-straight points to regain the advantage, 19-18. Callie Christensen dropped in one of her five kills on the night before Bartels and Bentley combined on a block to tie things up. The Lopers bounced back to take four of the next six rallies, retaking the lead 22-21. A UNK service error tied things up at 22 and opened the door for the Tigers, who took full advantage after a block from Wallick and Christensen put FHSU in front 23-22. A Loper attack sailed wide to help FHSU reach set point before Rollman and Christensen teamed up for the set-winning block two serves later, tying the match at one.

Nebraska-Kearney proved why it is one of the top teams in the country coming out of the locker room, totaling just eight errors in the final two sets and swinging at a .264 clip after intermission. The Lopers scored the first six points in both the third and fourth sets, putting all the pressure on the Tigers. FHSU was unable to respond in the third set, falling 25-15, but managed to bounce back in the fourth set and take the lead.

After the visitors went up 6-0 to open the fourth, Fort Hays State responded with a 9-3 run to tie things up at nine. The Tigers later took a momentary lead after scoring three-straight points, giving them a 12-11 advantage. Nebraska-Kearney regained the momentum after that three-point spurt, scoring 11 of the final 14 points to secure the win, 25-18.

The Tigers head back out on the road this weekend, first traveling to Edmond, Okla. for a date with ninth-ranked Central Oklahoma Friday (Sept. 29) at 6 p.m. FHSU will wrap up the quick road trip with a Saturday (Sept. 30) evening contest at Pittsburg State, with first serve also set for 6 p.m.

Fort Hays State Football moved up three spots in the latest D2Football.com Poll, released on Tuesday (Sept. 26). The Tigers are No. 13 in the weekly supplemental poll.

Fort Hays State is currently No. 14 in the AFCA Division II Poll, recognized as the official national poll of NCAA Division II, but is now nearly identical in rank in both polls this week. Each week the Tigers have been ranked this season, they have been higher in the rankings in the D2Football.com poll.

The MIAA has four teams in the D2Football.com Top 25 as compared to just two in the AFCA Poll. Northwest Missouri State is No. 1 in both polls, while in the D2Football.com poll Central Missouri ranks No. 23 and Emporia State ranks No. 24.

FHSU plays at Lindenwood this Saturday (Sept. 30) at 1 pm.

Below is the D2Football.com Poll for September 26, 2017.

Team		Record	Previous
1	Northwest Missouri	4-0	1
2	Texas A&M-Commerce	4-0	3
3	IUP	4-0	4
4	California	4-0	5
5	Sioux Falls	4-0	8
6	Shepherd	3-0	6
7	Minnesota State	4-0	9
8	Grand Valley	3-1	11
9	Ashland	3-1	15
10	CSU-Pueblo	3-1	14
11	Ferris State	2-1	2
12	Midwestern State	2-0	12
13	Fort Hays State	4-0	16
14	Indianapolis	4-0	17
15	Colorado Mesa	4-0	18
16	Delta State	4-0	19
17	Slippery Rock	4-0	20
18	Winona State	4-0	21
19	Arkansas Tech	4-0	22
20	Central Washington	4-0	23
21	Bowie State	4-0	24
22	North Alabama	1-2	7
23	Central Missouri	3-1	25
24	Emporia State	2-2	10
25	Humboldt State	3-0	NR

Fort Hays State Weekly Football Press Conference
September 26, 2017

Fort Hays State head coach Chris Brown conducted his weekly press conference in advance of the Tigers game in St. Charles, Mo. against Lindenwood Saturday afternoon. 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

 

Junior bandit back Doyin Jibowu

Sophomore wide receiver Harley Hazlett

Senior defensive lineman Luke Wright

MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Fort Hays State women’s golf team completed the MIAA Fall Preview (Sept. 24-25) with a sixth place finish among conference teams and an eighth place finish overall. The event was held at Mozingo Lake Golf Course, a par-72, 5,825-yard course. The Tigers shot a 325 on the first day before improving by 20 strokes and jumping up two spots on the final day to finish the week with a total of 630.

Hannah Perkins led Fort Hays State with a tied for 13th finish individually as she claimed her second Top 15 finish of the season. Perkins fired identical rounds of 75 in both rounds to complete the tournament 6-over par (150).

Taylor DeBoer shot rounds of 82 and 75 to finish in a tie for 28th. Katie Brungardt tied for 33th with rounds of 84 and 75. Madison Roether tied for 48th after rounds of 85 and 80. Kelsey McCarthy shot rounds of 84 and 87.

Central Oklahoma won the tournament after firing rounds of 294 and 298 to finish at 17-over par (592) for the week. Northeastern State finished second with a score of 607 and Lindenwood (610) finished third. Alex Trask claimed the individual title with a 3-under par performance (141) for the tournament.

WACO, Texas – Fort Hays State Football moved up four more spots in the latest AFCA Division II Top 25 Poll, released on Monday (Sept. 25). The Tigers are now 4-0 on the season after a 31-7 win over Northeastern State in Hays this past Saturday.

Ninth-ranked Grand Valley State is the only team in front of FHSU in the poll that is not undefeated, currently 3-1. The Lakers started the year at No. 2 in the nation and were knocked off in the opening week of the season by the current No. 10 ranked team, Indianapolis. Twenty of the teams in the top 25 are undefeated.

Northwest Missouri State sits in a tie atop the MIAA with Fort Hays State and remains the No. 1 ranked team in the nation. Emporia State dropped out of the top 25 after a loss to Central Missouri this past week. Northwest Missouri and Fort Hays are the only remaining MIAA teams inside the top 25 going into the fifth week of the season, but Central Missouri is the highest receiving votes team beyond the top 25. Washburn and Emporia State are also receiving votes this week.

Fort Hays State will get another strong test this week at Lindenwood. The Lions knocked off Pittsburg State in Pittsburg this past Saturday 45-11.

Below is the AFCA Top 25 Poll for September 25, 2017.

Rank School (1st Place Votes) Record Points Previous Rank
1. Northwest Missouri St. (34) 4-0 850 1
2. Texas A&M-Commerce 4-0 808 3
3. Shepherd (W.Va.) 3-0 763 4
4. Indiana (Pa.) 4-0 717 6
5. California (Pa.) 4-0 691 5
6. Minnesota St. 4-0 665 8
7. Sioux Falls (S.D.) 4-0 663 7
8. Colorado Mesa 4-0 599 11
9. Grand Valley St. (Mich.) 3-1 515 12
10. Indianapolis (Ind.) 4-0 487 14
11. Arkansas Tech 4-0 454 16
12. Midwestern St. (Texas) 2-0 451 13
13. Delta St. (Miss.) 4-0 428 17
14. Fort Hays State (Kan.) 4-0 394 18
15. Ferris St. (Mich.) 2-1 329 2
16. Central Washington 4-0 325 20
17. Colorado St.-Pueblo 3-1 294 19
18. Slippery Rock (Pa.) 4-0 253 21
19. Humboldt St. (Calif.) 3-0 215 22
20. Ashland (Ohio) 3-1 210 NR
21. Bowie St. (Md.) 4-0 209 23
22. Assumption (Mass.) 4-0 176 24
23. Catawba (N.C.) 4-0 170 25
24. LIU-Post (N.Y.) 3-1 125 9
25. Winona St. (Minn.) 4-0 59 NR

Others Receiving Votes: Central Missouri, 38; Southeastern Oklahoma St., 33; North Alabama, 32; Wingate (N.C.), 23; West Georgia, 22; West Alabama, 18; Washburn (Kan.), 8; Florida Tech, 7; Emporia St. (Kan.), 4; Shippensburg (Pa.), 4; West Chester (Pa.), 4; Eastern New Mexico, 3; Azusa Pacific (Calif.), 2; Ouachita Baptist (Ark.), 1; Virginia St., 1.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State senior kicker Brandon Brown earned MIAA Special Teams Athlete of the Week honors for the second time this year on Monday (Sept. 25) for his efforts in the 31-7 win over Northeastern State this past Saturday. It is the third time in Brown’s career at FHSU he has earned the honor.

Brown converted a 54-yard field goal in the first quarter to give Fort Hays State a 10-0 lead in the eventual 31-7 win. The field goal was the third-longest in school history. His only miss was a 57-yard attempt later that had the distance, but missed just to the left. It was his only miss of the season so far. Brown was a perfect 4-of-4 on extra-point attempts. So far this year, Brown is 4-of-5 on field goal attempts and 19-of-19 on extra-point tries.

Brown joins Zach Martin of Northwest Missouri State (Offensive Athlete of the Week) and Austin Miller of Central Missouri (Defensive Athlete of the Week) as the weekly honorees from the MIAA.

HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team ended the weekend with an overtime victory over Northeastern State Sunday afternoon, 2-1. The Tigers improved to 2-4-2 overall and 2-0 in conference play, while the RiverHawks dip below .500 after the loss, moving to 3-4 this season and 0-1 in the MIAA.

There was little offensive output throughout the first half from both teams as the overcast skies turned into a solid rain shower halfway through the period, making it difficult to control the ball and attack the net. The RiverHawks controlled what momentum there was, attempting nine shots in the first half compared to the Tigers’ four.

Northeastern State continued its aggressive play in the second half when Aaron Ugbah picked up his second goal of the season in the 50th minute. The 1-0 deficit would not last long, however, as Abdoulaye Cisse netted the equalizer from six yards out on a free kick into the box from Luis Mendez. It was Cisse’s second goal of the weekend.

The Tigers grabbed control for the rest of the period, attempting seven more shots through the remainder of the half. FHSU had several close calls, but were unable to find the game-winner in regulation, sending the Tigers to their fourth overtime match of the season.

Fort Hays State carried its momentum into the overtime period, controlling possession in the offensive half for much of the frame. Junior Caesar Jones could not have picked a better time to record his first collegiate goal, coming through with the golden goal in the 97th minute when he beat the keeper to his left after Derick Gonzalez sent a perfect pass into the box through a pair of defenders.

Michael Yantz was credited with the victory after making three saves, improving to 2-3-2 this season. Cisse led the Tigers with three shots, two shots on goal.

The Tigers will be back in action on Thursday (Sept. 28) when they host Oklahoma Baptist at FHSU Soccer Stadium at 7:30 p.m.

HAYS, Kan.- Led by two second-half goals, the Fort Hays State women’s soccer team captured a 2-0 win over Emporia State to open MIAA regular season play with a win. With the victory, the Tigers advance their overall record to 4-2-2 and 1-0 in conference. This was the second meeting between the Tigers and Hornets in the past week, with the Tigers also winning the first in a 3-2 offensive-focused match.

After a scoreless first half for both teams, the Tigers found the back of the net at the 72:28 mark in the match after a header goal from Kylie Thomas off the feet of Darby Hirsch. Fourteen minutes later, Eden Stoddard netted her sixth goal of the season just in front of the box. Stoddard is now ranked No. 6 in the MIAA in goals.

Fort Hays State had multiple opportunities to connect as they outshot the Hornets 18-7 in the match with five hitting near target for both squads. Hirsch and Stoddard led the offensive charge for the Tigers as they each earned four shot attempts. For Emporia State, Maria Walden accounted for a team-high four shots.

Kristen Thompson increased her individual record behind the net for the Tigers to 4-1-0 after her five saves in the contest. On the year, Thompson now has 25 saves to her name to rank third in the MIAA in the category. Bethany Reeves for the Hornets suffers her second loss of the year as she finished with three saves for Emporia State.

With the MIAA season upon us, the Tigers will have two-consecutive home matches before going back on the road. On Friday (Sept. 29), Fort Hays State will play host to Lindenwood for a 7 p.m. match, followed by a 1 p.m. contest against Central Missouri on Sunday (Oct. 1). Both matches will kick off at the FHSU Soccer Stadium.

HAYS, Kan. – Despite putting up a strong fight in the opening set, the Fort Hays State volleyball team fell in straight sets against No. 25 Washburn Saturday evening (Sept. 23). The Tigers are now 8-8 overall and 0-2 in MIAA play, while the Ichabods jump to 10-4 this season and 1-1 in league play.

The Tigers hit .208 in the opening set, but struggled in the next two frames to finish the match with a .113 attack percentage. The Ichabods countered with a .310 swing rate, their best match of the season to date. Errors were the difference in the match, with FHSU making 23 miscues to Washburn’s 13.

No Tiger reached double figures in kills, with Sydney Dixon and Callie Christensen leading the way with eight kills each. Tatum Bartels had a strong day in the middle, totaling seven kills and a team-best .333 swing percentage to go along with two blocks (one solo). Christensen led the match with four blocks, including a career-best three solo blocks for the second night in a row. Amirah Bentley tossed up 31 assists while adding three kills, three digs and one block. Abbie Hayes recorded a team-high 11 digs.

Fort Hays State had three chances to secure the opening frame, but the Ichabod defense repeatedly prevented the Tigers from capturing that final point. Washburn led by as many as three early in the set, but a 6-2 run from the Tigers put them in front 13-12. The teams traded points for the remainder of the frame, with neither side leading by more than two. A kill from Magan Alexander brought the Tigers to set point, 24-23, but the Ichabods tied things up after a blocking error. Azlyn Cassaday then gave FHSU another chance to take the set with a kill, but WU once again bounced back. Christensen threw down a big kill to make the score 26-25, but the Ichabods responded by scoring three-straight points to steal the set and the momentum, 28-26.

The Tigers kept things close to open the second set, but a 9-1 run in the heart of the frame put the Ichabods in prime position, 20-14. Fort Hays State did not have an answer this time around, dropping the second set 25-17. The Ichabods kept their foot on the gas in the third set, leading wire-to-wire to complete the sweep, 25-16. WU scored the first five points in the final frame, leading to a quick 9-2 lead. The Tigers closed within three, 10-7, thanks to four-consecutive points, but another long run from the visitors put FHSU behind by double digits, 19-9.

Fort Hays State wraps up a three-game homestand Tuesday (Sept. 26) when fifth-ranked Nebraska-Kearney makes the trip to Hays for a 6 p.m. match inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.