PITTSBURG, Kan. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team picked up its first conference win of the season Saturday (Sept. 30), knocking off Pittsburg State in four sets (25-27, 25-19, 27-25, 25-22). The Tigers improve to 9-10 overall and 1-4 in conference play, while the Gorillas are now 3-14 on the year and 0-5 in the MIAA.

The Tigers totaled a .196 hitting percentage in the victory while limiting PSU to a .152 swing rate. FHSU also held a 10-8 advantage in blocks. Magan Alexander paced the team with 15 kills, with Callie Christensen adding 11 and Logan Wallick also reaching double figures with 10. Christensen matched Alexander with 15 points to lead the team after adding six blocks (two solo). Becca Page led the team with 25 assists while Taylor White recorded a team-high 18 digs.

The teams went back and forth in the early going before FHSU put together six-straight points to go in front 14-9. The Tigers later built the lead as high as nine, 21-12, but the Gorillas bounced back to score 10 of the next 11 points to tie things up at 22-22. The home team completed the incredible comeback by closing the set on a 5-2 run, winning the opening frame 27-25.

Fort Hays State never trailed in the second set, jumping in front 9-4 to force a Gorilla timeout. The Tigers kept the pressure on out of the huddle, scoring five of the next seven points to build the lead to eight, 14-6. The Gorillas closed as close as five, 22-17, but a kill from Christensen gave the Tigers a 25-19 victory and sent the teams into the locker room tied up at one.

Both teams went on several big runs in the third set, with the Tigers ultimately coming out on top to take a commanding 2-1 lead in the match. PSU scored five in a row early in the frame to go up 6-1 before the Tigers rallied to tie things up at 7-7. The Gorillas went back up by two, but FHSU once again responded with five consecutive points to grab a 14-11 lead. The Tigers led by as many as four, 19-15, before reaching set point, 24-21. The Gorillas fought off three-straight set points to tie things up, ultimately taking the lead to end a four-point run. Thankfully the Tigers had one final run in them, capturing the next three rallies to win the set on a kill from Wallick.

Fort Hays State was in control for the entirety of the fourth set, trailing only once by just one point. The teams traded points early on before PSU took a momentary 7-6 lead, followed quickly by three straight points for the Tigers. FHSU would lead for the remainder of the set, ultimately securing the match with a 25-22 victory. The Tigers built their lead up to six, 19-13, thanks to four consecutive points. As was the theme all night, Pittsburg State would not go away quietly, using an 8-3 run to close within one, 22-21. The Black and Gold secured the next two points to reach match point before Alexander sealed the victory with a kill two rallies later.

The Tigers are set to return to Gross Memorial Coliseum for a four-match homestand beginning Friday (Oct. 6) when FHSU will host Missouri Western at 6 p.m.

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Colt Trachsel intercepted a pass and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown to give Fort Hays State a 10-point lead and the 14th-ranked Tigers held off Lindenwood 38-35 Saturday afternoon at Hunter Stadium.

Chris Brown Postgame Interview

Colt Trachsel Postgame Interview

Monterio Burchfield Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

The Lions scored 14 straight to close out the second quarter and led 21-14 at halftime. The Tigers answered with a 48-yard touchdown pass to Monterio Burchfield to tie the game 21-21.

After Lindenwood answered with a touchdown to take the lead back, Jacob Mezera connected with Burchfield on a 76-yard touchdown strike on third and six to tie the game 28-28.

After the Lions missed a 34-yard field goal, Kenneth Iheme ripped off a 54-yard run setting up a 27-yard Brandon Brown Field goal to give the Tigers a 31-28 lead with 7:59 to play.

The Tigers recovered a Lindenwood fumble on the next possession but Jacob Mezera underthrew a pass to Burchfield that was intercepted by Riley McCoy who was then penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct which pinned the Lions at their own five yard line.

Trachsel picked off the pass of Max Meylor to push the lead to 38-28 with 3:34 to play. The Lions drove in for a touchdown with 1:03 but J.J. Lewis recovered the onside kick and the Tigers ran out the clock as move to 5-0 for the first time since 1983.

Monterio Burchfield had five catches for 173 yards and three touchdowns. Kenneth Iheme rushed for 174 yards on 30 carries with a touchdown and had seven receptions for another 58 yards.

Jacob Mezera went 25 of 35 for 294 yards with three touchdowns and one interception and was not sacked.

Jose Delgado led the defense with 14 tackles and the Tigers’ only sack.

HAYS, Kan. – With the match tied at 1-1 leading into the final minutes, Eden Stoddard earned her seventh goal of the season to lead the Tigers to a 2-1 MIAA win over Lindenwood Friday night. Fort Hays State now improves its record to 5-2-2 and 2-0 in the early conference season. The Lions drop to 3-6 and 0-2 in MIAA play.

The Lions got on the board first in the game as they earned a 1-0 advantage at the 20:19 minute mark in the match behind Becky Roberts’ third goal of the season on a solo shot in front of FHSU keeper Kristen Thompson. It took less than 20 minutes for the Tigers to even up the score after Silvana Romero netted her season-first goal from the feet of Stoddard who earned her third assist of the season as she set up a Romero goal up the right side of the pitch. The Tigers and Lions headed into the halftime tied at 1-1.

The second half remained even with neither team adding another goal to their name. Despite Fort Hays State outshooting Lindenwood 9-2 in the second half, the Tigers were not able to capture another goal until four minutes left in the match. Stoddard netted her team-high seventh goal of the season off a header and pass from Darby Hirsch and Romero at the 86:10 mark. The huge goal ultimately would seal the win for the Tigers 2-1 to help them remain unbeaten at 2-0 in the MIAA.

In the match, Fort Hays State out-shot Lindenwood by 17 with the 22-5 advantage in the category. Mary McGilvray for the Lions got dealt her third loss of the season to drop her record behind the net for Lindenwood to 3-6 behind seven saves on the night. For the Tigers, Thompson and Megan Kneefel split the goal security duties with Thompson earning the lone save of the match for Fort Hays State in the first half. Kneefel earned the victory, however, as she anchored the Tigers in the second half to earn her first win in goal this season. Kneefel now sits at 1-1-1 on the year.

The road for the Tigers doesn’t get any easier as they play host to No. 3 Central Missouri Sunday for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The Jennies are 9-0 overall and 2-0 in the MIAA as they have held their opponents scoreless by holding a 38-0 advantage.

EDMOND, Okla. – Despite collecting 11 team blocks, the Fort Hays State volleyball team was unable to slow the powerful No. 9 Central Oklahoma offense, falling in straight sets Friday inside Hamilton Field House (18-25, 14-25, 20-25). The Tigers fall to 8-10 overall and 0-4 in MIAA play, while the Bronchos are now 17-1 and 4-0 in conference action after earning their eighth-straight sweep.

The Tigers were limited to a .100 attack percentage while UCO countered with a .274 swing rate. Fort Hays State picked up four more blocks than the Bronchos, 11-7, but the home team held an edge in every other statistical category.

Callie Christensen led the Tigers with 10 kills, recording just two errors to accumulate a .381 attack percentage while adding five blocks (one solo) defensively. Kylie Rollman chipped in seven kills and seven blocks (one solo), posting a .385 swing rate. Taylor White totaled a match-high 18 digs in the loss.

The Bronchos ran away with the first set when they scored nine consecutive points, turning a 4-3 deficit into a 12-4 lead. The Tigers scored four in a row late in the set to close within 22-18, but UCO finished things off by winning the next three rallies. It was more of the same in the second set as the Bronchos used 12-1 run to jump in front by double figures, 17-6.

Fort Hays State didn’t go down without a fight, forcing 10 ties and six lead changes in the third set. UCO scored the first three points in the frame, but the Tigers went on a 5-1 run to jump in front 7-6. FHSU led by as many as two, 9-7, before the Bronchos rallied to retake the lead, 11-9. The momentum quickly shifted once again, with the Tigers grabbing the next three points to move back in front, 12-11. The Tigers led as late as 16-15 before UCO finished the match with a 10-4 run, taking the final set 25-20. It was only the second time this conference season that a UCO opponent has reached 20 points in a set.

The Tigers wrap up the weekend Saturday when they travel to Pittsburg State for a 6 p.m. contest.

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.