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FHSU women’s cross country enters season fourth in MIAA Preseason Poll

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Fort Hays State women’s cross country team enters the 2019 season ranked fourth in the Preseason MIAA Women’s Cross Country Coaches Poll, released Wednesday (August 28) by the league office. It is the second year in a row the Tigers have been slotted fourth in the preseason rankings.

The Tigers picked up 111 points in the voting process, just eight behind third-place Nebraska-Kearney. Defending league champion Pittsburg State tops the list with eight first-place votes and 138 points while Missouri Southern is close behind with three top votes and 135 points.

Fort Hays State head coach Dr. Jason McCullough brings a relatively young roster into 2019, made up of two seniors, nine sophomores and four freshmen. The Tigers still have plenty of experience on the squad, however, as they return four of their top six runners from a year ago. Joining eight returners is a talented group of seven newcomers, including four freshmen and three transfers.

Senior Tessa Durnell was one of the top five finishers for FHSU in all six races last season, while fellow senior Mirena Goncalves was second for the Tigers in two of her three appearances in 2018. Sophomores Abigail Stewart and Averi Wilson are back after making a big impact as true freshmen last year, as both finished in the top of the six for the Tigers in each contest.

The Tigers open the season this Saturday, August 31 when they host the 33rd annual Sand Plum Alumni Open at 9:30 a.m. After two road trips in September, FHSU will return to Sand Plum Nature Trail in Victoria, Kan. to host the eighth annual FHSU Tiger Open on October 12 beginning at 9 a.m.

2019 Preseason MIAA Women’s Cross Country Coaches Poll
1. Pittsburg State (8) – 138 points
2. Missouri Southern (3) – 135 points
3. Nebraska-Kearney (1) – 119 points
4. Fort Hays State – 111 points
5. Washburn – 96 points
6. Central Missouri (1) – 76 points
7. Missouri Western – 75 points
8. Northwest Missouri – 73 points
9. Newman – 67 points
10. Central Oklahoma 41 points
11. Emporia State – 36 points
12. Rogers State – 33 points
13. Lincoln – 14 points
Coaches Can’t Vote For Their Own Team

Parents and adult fans: The biggest challenge facing high school sports today

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By Karissa Niehoff
Executive Director of the National Federation of State High School Associations
and Bill Faflick
Executive Director of the Kansas State High School Activities Association

Inappropriate adult behavior at high school athletic events in Kansas has reached epidemic proportion.

When more than 2,000 high school athletic directors were asked in a recent national survey what they like least about their job, 62.3% said it was “dealing with aggressive parents and adult fans.”

And the men and women who wear the black and white stripes agree. In fact, almost 80% of officials quit after the first two years on the job, and unruly parents are cited as the reason why. As a result, there is a growing shortage of high school officials here in Kansas, and in some sports like wrestling, soccer, and baseball/softball, the shortage is severe. No officials means no more games.

If you are a parent attending a high school athletic event this fall, you can help by following these six guidelines:

1. Be a Role Model. You are, after all, an adult. Act in a way that makes your family and school proud and teaches lessons we want our children to learn. They are watching. They will imitate.

2. Don’t Live Your Life Vicariously Through Your Children. High school sports are for them, not you. Your family’s reputation is not determined by how well your children perform on the field of play.

3. Let Your Children Talk to the Coach Instead of You Doing It for Them. High school athletes learn how to become more confident, independent and capable—but only when their parents don’t jump in and solve their problems for them.

4. Stay in Your Own Lane. No coaching or officiating from the sidelines. Your role is to be a responsible, supportive parent—not a coach or official.

5. Remember, Participating in a High School Sport Is Not About Getting a College Scholarship. According to the NCAA, only about 2% of all high school athletes are awarded a sports scholarship, and the total value of the scholarship is only about $18,000. In fact, there are more dollars available for more students with academic scholarships than what is available to athletes.

6. Make Sure Your Children Know You Love Watching Them Play. Do not critique your child’s performance on the car ride home. Participating in high school sports is about character development, learning and having fun—not winning and losing.

Purchasing a ticket to a high school athletic event does not give you the right to be rude, disrespectful or verbally abusive. Cheer loud and be proud, but be responsible and respectful. The future of high school sports in Kansas is dependent on you.

KVA releaseas preseason rankings

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TOPEKA, Kan. – The Kansas Volleyball Association has released their preseason volleyball rankings. Locally, Smith Center comes in at No. 2 in the 2A poll with Trego ranked 10th. Thunder Ridge is eighth and Otis-Bison ninth in Class 1A.

Class 6A
1. Blue Valley
2. Olathe Northwest
3. Gardner-Edgerton
4. Lawrence-Free State
5. Blue Valley West
6. Mill Valley
7. Blue Valley North
8. Shawnee Mission Northwest
9. Garden City
10. Washburn Rural

Class 5A
1. St. Thomas Aquinas
2. Lansing
3. St. James Academy
4. Topeka-Seaman
5. Bishop Carroll
6. Bonner Springs
7. Andover
8. Spring Hill
9. Goddard
10. Blue Valley Southwest

Class 4A
1. Bishop Miege
2. Andale
3. Topeka-Hayden
4. Louisburg
5. Wichita-Trinity Academy
6. Independence
7. Nickerson
8. Ulysses
9. Abilene
10. Circle

Class 3A
1. Silver Lake
2. Royal Valley
3. Beloit
4. Hesston
5. Belle Plaine
6. Frontenac
7. Holton
8. West Franklin
9. Concordia
10. Nemaha Central

Class 2A
1. Wabaunsee
2. Smith Center
3. Sedgwick
4. Garden Plain
5. St. Mary’s-Colgan
6. Valley Heights
7. Jefferson County North
8. Ellinwood
9. Maranatha Christian
10. Trego Community

Class 1A
1. Centralia
2. Spearville
3. Moundridge
4. Little River
5. Chetopa
6. Central-Burden
7. Rural Vista
8. Thunder Ridge
9. Otis-Bison
10. Beloit-St. John’s/Tipton

Semien scores, has RBI as A’s shut down Royals

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Marcus Semien provided just enough early offense and Mike Fiers and three Oakland relievers combined to shut down the Kansas City Royals in a 2-1 victory Tuesday night.

Semien had hits in his first two at-bats of the game, coming around to score in the first inning and driving in a run in the second. That was all the offense the A’s pitchers needed.

Fiers looked solid through five innings, but ran into a bit of trouble in the bottom of the sixth. Alex Gordon had an RBI double into the gap in right-center. After striking out Cheslor Cuthbert, a walk to Ryan O’Hearn ended Fiers’ night. Yusmeiro Petit came in and retired the next two batters, striking out Meibrys Viloria, to escape the jam and preserve the 2-1 lead.

Fiers (13-3) scattered eight hits in his 5 1/3 innings, but allowed just the one run and struck out five batters. He’s now won 11 straight decisions, dating to May 7, tying Mark Mulder for the second-longest winning streak in Oakland history.

Petit retired all five batters he faced. Joakim Soria tossed a scoreless eighth and Liam Hendriks worked the ninth inning for his 16th save in 20 opportunities.

The A’s have won 10 of their last 13 games in Kansas City and 16 out of the last 21 overall, outscoring the Royals 140-62 in that span.

Mike Montgomery (3-7) shook off a shaky start to put together another quality outing, despite struggling again with his command. Montgomery surrendered an unearned run in the first and another run in the second, but gave up nothing else through 6 1/3 innings. He walked three batters and hit another and has now issued eight walks over his last three starts after walking three total in his first five starts with the Royals.

The A’s didn’t hit the ball out of the infield in the first inning, but still managed to squeeze out a run after Cuthbert’s error extended the inning. A walk to Chad Pinder two batters later drove in Semien.

An inning later, Semien laced an RBI single to right field, scoring Josh Phegley who doubled two pitches earlier.

Whit Merrifield and Gordon both had two-hit nights for the Royals.

BROWN SHOWS OFF DEFENSIVE SKILLS

A day after making his big league debut by getting hits in his first two at-bats, A’s left fielder Seth Brown flashed his defensive abilities. With one out in the bottom of the second, Brown raced towards the left-center gap and made a diving catch to rob Cuthbert of extra bases. In the third inning, Brown threw out Viloria, who was trying to score from second on Merrifield’s single.

STATS AND STREAKS

Mark Canha saw his 10-game hitting streak come to an end, going 0 for 3. … Soria made his 700th career appearance on the mound, extending his MLB record for a Mexican-born pitcher. … The A’s had a streak of 10 consecutive innings scoring at least one run snapped in the third inning. Oakland scored in the final eight innings of Monday’s game and each of the first two innings on Tuesday. The A’s became the first team since Boston in 2013 to score in 10 consecutive innings. … Nicky Lopez extended his career best hitting streak to 10 games with a single in the third inning.

UP NEXT

Athletics: Tanner Roark will make his fourth start with Oakland since being traded from Cincinnati at the trade deadline. Roark (8-8) is 2-1 with a 2.63 ERA in his first three starts for the A’s.

Royals: Jakob Junis (8-12) will look to bounce back from his previous start Friday in Cleveland, when he threw just four innings and gave up four runs and six hits.

FHSU volleyball holds Black and Gold Scrimmage

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Abbie Hayes makes a play on the ball at the Black and Gold Scrimmage (Courtesy FHSU Sports Information / Allie Schweizer)

The Fort Hays State volleyball head their annual Black and Gold Scrimmage Tuesday as they prepare for the start of their season. Second year head coach Jessica Wood-Atkins has seven freshman, four sophomores and only one senior on her roster.

The Tigers finished 8-22 a year ago and were only 2-16 in MIAA play and lost their final seven to close out the season.

The Tigers will host Friends in an exhibition Monday before opening their season on September 6th at the Eagle Classic hosted by Chadron State.

They will host their own Tiger Classic September 13-14.

AP Sources: Royals ownership open to potential sale of club

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Two people familiar with the situation tell The Associated Press that the ownership of the Kansas City Royals is open to the possibility of selling the franchise if the right buyer is found.

The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the sale.

The Athletic reported Tuesday that team owner David Glass was in discussions with a group led by Kansas City native and Cleveland Indians vice chairman John Sherman. But the depth of those discussions is unclear, and one person told the AP that the club has been open to offers for some time.

The Royals declined in a statement to address any speculation about a potential sale.

Glass, the former president and CEO of Wal-Mart, was appointed interim chairman of the club in 1993 after the death of its founder, Ewing Kauffman. The Glass family bought the team for $96 million in April 2000 with the understanding that the Royals would remain in Kansas City.

Earlier this year, Forbes calculated the franchise value at $1 billion.

Delton named a starter at TCU

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FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) – Graduate transfer Alex Delton will be the starting quarterback for TCU’s season opener, and true freshman Max Duggan will also play in the first quarter against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday.

Coach Gary Patterson said Tuesday the competition was good and that “a lot of guys keep pushing.”

Patterson also said senior running back Sewo Olonilua won’t play in the first half Saturday. Olonilua, who set a school bowl record with 194 yards rushing in the Cheez-It Bowl, was arrested in May on possible drug charges in Walker County, Texas.

Delton, from Hays, got the starting edge at quarterback because of experience. He played 14 games with six starts the last two seasons at Kansas State, and was a team captain last year.

Former Penn transfer Michael Collins started four games late last season for TCU before a right ankle injury that forced him to miss all of spring drills, then missed about two weeks of practice this month because of a foot injury.

Butt could be headed to injured reserve again

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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) – Jake Butt has had another setback in his return from a third ACL injury and might be headed back to injured reserve.

Butt played 11 snaps in Denver’s preseason loss to the Los Angeles Rams last weekend in his first game action since last September, and he caught a pair of passes.

He hasn’t practiced since then, however, because of pain and swelling in his surgically repaired left knee, symptoms that also sidelined him for three weeks earlier this summer.

Butt “may miss some time,” coach Vic Fangio said Tuesday. “His knee, when he starts to feel good and plays or practices, then it flares back up again.”

Fangio said IR is a possibility for Butt but not a certainty.

Injuries to Butt and four other offensive players are complicating the Broncos’ 53-man roster decisions. Also injured are QB Drew Lock (thumb), right guard Ronald Leary (knee), receiving back Theo Riddick (shoulder), and fullback Andy Janovich (chest).

FHSU football season opener featured in NCAA Football Showcase

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INDIANAPOLIS – On Tuesday (Aug. 27) the NCAA announced 18 regular-season Division II football games that will be a part of its 2019 Division II Football Showcase. The season-opening football game between Fort Hays State and Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Missouri is part of the showcase. The game will be available to view on several webstreaming platforms.

The first 18 games of the Division II Football Showcase are predetermined games, 16 of which are conference matchups. An additional four flex games — intended to highlight crucial matchups — will be finalized later in the season and played in November.

Selected games are featured on ESPN3 or NCAA social media as part of a new media agreement intended to promote Division II on multiple platforms throughout the season.

The September 5 matchup between Fort Hays State and Central Missouri in Warrensburg will be a “hybrid model” game, meaning it has flexibility of distribution both online and on TV. Hybrid games will be distributed Free-To-View online through NCAA social media accounts — specifically, Division II Facebook (facebook.com/ncaadivisionii) and Twitter (@NCAADII) — and through conference and school digital networks. The game will also be available Free-To-View on the Fort Hays State University Athletics Facebook account (facebook.com/fhsuathletics). The game may also appear on local television channels, which will be announced closer to the game date should any local providers pick up the game.

If you have already paid for a subscription package to watch games on the MIAA Network, the game will still be available as normal just like any other week. Here is the link to the FHSU portal on the MIAA Network – https://themiaanetwork.com/fhsutigers/. The MIAA Network OTT apps are available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Android TV.

“It’s always exciting to begin a new academic year and the start of the Division II season,” said Terri Steeb Gronau, vice president of Division II. “We’re looking forward to highlighting the teams that will be featured in the football showcase and promoting the Division II brand on several platforms for fans to see across the country.”

Games included in the schedule are selected from a pool of conference nominations. Of the 16 football-sponsoring conferences in Division II, 15 will be featured in at least one game. One conference declined to participate.

Of the teams competing in the slate of games, 15 appeared in the 2018 Division II playoffs, and 15 begin the 2019 season ranked in the Top 25 of the American Football Coaches Association Division II poll.

“The football showcase features several great teams and matchups,” said Daryl Dickey, chair of the Division II Football Committee and athletics director at West Georgia. “It’s always fun to follow Division II football and celebrate our student-athletes for their excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community.”

 

2019 Division II Showcase Full Schedule
Thursday, Sept. 5, 8:05 p.m. ET                 Harding at Ouachita Baptist (ESPN3)
Thursday, Sept. 5, 8:05 p.m. ET                Fort Hays State at Central Missouri (Hybrid)
Saturday, Sept. 14, 6:05 p.m. ET                Ohio Dominican at Valdosta State (ESPN3)
Saturday, Sept. 14, 7:05 p.m. ET                Ferris State at Central Washington (ESPN3)
Saturday, Sept. 21, 12:05 p.m. ET             Findlay at Ohio Dominican (ESPN3)
Saturday, Sept. 21, 6:05 p.m. ET                Shaw at Chowan (Hybrid)
Friday, Sept. 27, 7:05 p.m. ET                     New Haven at Bentley (Hybrid)
Saturday, Sept. 28, 2:35 pm. ET                 Central Oklahoma at Northwest Missouri State (Hybrid)
Saturday, Oct. 5, 2:05 p.m. ET                    Lindenwood (Missouri) at McKendree (Hybrid)
Saturday, Oct. 5, 3:05 p.m. ET                    Minnesota Duluth at Minnesota State Mankato (Hybrid)
Saturday, Oct. 12, 1:05 p.m. ET                  Northern Michigan at Michigan Tech (Hybrid)
Saturday, Oct. 12, 7:05 p.m. ET                  Midwestern State at Texas A&M-Commerce (ESPN3)
Saturday, Oct. 19, 12:05 p.m. ET               West Chester at Shepherd (Hybrid)
Saturday, Oct. 19, 2:05 p.m. ET                  Benedict at Albany State (Georgia) (ESPN3)
Saturday, Oct. 26, 2:05 p.m. ET                  West Georgia at West Alabama (ESPN3)
Saturday, Nov. 2, 12:05 p.m. ET                 Charleston (West Virginia) at West Virginia State (Hybrid)
Saturday, Nov. 2, 2:05 p.m. ET                   Wingate at Lenoir-Rhyne (ESPN3)
Saturday, Nov. 2, 5:05 p.m. ET                   Texas A&M-Commerce at West Texas A&M (ESPN3)
Saturday, Nov. 9                                            To be determined
Saturday, Nov. 16                                          To be determined

— FHSU Sports Information —

Oakland sets season highs for runs, hits in win over KC

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Marcus Semien homered, tripled and drove in a career-high seven runs as the Oakland Athletics set season highs for runs and hits in a 19-4 thrashing of the Kansas City Royals on Monday night.

Jurickson Profar, Matt Chapman and Khris Davis also went deep for the A’s, who are locked in a tight race with Cleveland and Tampa Bay for the two American League wild cards. Josh Phegley drove in three runs and scored three times. Four players had three hits and every starter got at least one as Oakland finished with 22.

Seth Brown singled in the first two at-bats of his big league career, scored twice and drove in a run.

Homer Bailey (12-8) threw six innings, allowing three runs and eight hits, to get the win against his former team.

Oakland scored five runs in both the second and third, backed by Semien’s big hits.

Royals starter Brad Keller (7-14) lasted just 1 1/3 innings, exiting after Semien’s bases-loaded triple put Oakland up 5-0. After retiring his first four hitters, Keller let six straight reach – including three consecutive walks that forced in two runs prior to Semien’s triple.

Chiefs lose backup QB Henne to broken ankle, sign Moore

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Chiefs lost backup quarterback Chad Henne to a fractured ankle in their penultimate preseason game, and they signed veteran Matt Moore on Monday to provide depth behind starter Patrick Mahomes.

Henne will have surgery on the ankle he broke during Saturday night’s game against San Francisco.

The Chiefs have two other quarterbacks on their roster in Chase Litton and Kyle Shurmur, but neither has distinguished himself in the preseason. The two were competing for a No. 3 job behind Mahomes and Henne, with Shurmur appearing to have the edge heading into Thursday night’s game in Green Bay.

The 35-year-old Moore sat out last season after playing 10 seasons with the Dolphins and Panthers. He started 30 games and threw 45 touchdown passes with 36 interceptions.

Tigers open 2019 season ranked No. 11 in AFCA Top 25 Poll

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FHSU Athletics

WACO, Texas – Coming off a second-consecutive MIAA Championship in 2018, Fort Hays State Football enters the 2019 season ranked No. 11 in the AFCA Division II Top 25 Poll, released by the organization on Monday. Fort Hays State finished 9-3 overall in 2018 and seeks a third-straight conference title, as well as a berth in the NCAA Division II Playoffs for a third-straight year.

The Tigers produced their two-highest win totals in program history each of the last two years. The 2017 team won a school record 11 games, finishing at 11-1 overall, while the 2018 team’s nine wins is second most. Over the two-year span, FHSU is 20-4 overall, including a 20-2 mark in MIAA play. Fort Hays State finished at No. 22 in the AFCA Poll last year.

Defending national champion Valdosta State (Ga.) starts the year at No. 1 in the nation. The Blazers went undefeated last year to win the national title, knocking off Ferris State (Mich.) in the national title game. Ferris State starts the year at No. 2.

Fort Hays State is one of two MIAA programs in the Top 25 of the poll, joining Northwest Missouri State. The Bearcats are No. 6 in the nation to start the year. The Tigers are the highest ranked team of any in the poll that finished with less than 10 wins overall last year. FHSU claimed the last two meetings with Northwest Missouri over the past two years, both wins occurring in Maryville. FHSU and NWMSU will meet in Week 10 for the fourth straight year, but this time in Hays on November 9. The perennially strong MIAA looks to end a two-year drought of having a member reach the national championship game after Northwest Missouri won national titles in both 2015 and 2016.

The MIAA looks to be tough once again this year with six teams referenced in the AFCA Poll. FHSU and NWMSU are inside the Top 25, while four other teams are in the receiving votes section. That group includes Pittsburg State (65 pts), Central Missouri (15 pts), Emporia State (11 pts), and Central Oklahoma (9 pts). Five of the six finished with at least eight wins last year.

Fort Hays State will open the season with one of the six referenced in the poll, heading to Central Missouri in Week 1 on Thursday, September 5. The Mules were very close to upsetting the Tigers in the season opener last year in Hays. Down by 10 with five minutes to go in the game, the Tigers rallied for a pair of touchdowns and won 20-16. The Tigers’ home opener is set for September 12 against Missouri Western.

See the AFCA Division II Preseason Top 25 Poll below.

Rank School (1st votes) Record Pts. Rank* Season Opener Head Coach
1. Valdosta St. (Ga.) (29) 14-0 792 1 Sept. 7 at Albany St. (Ga.) Gary Goff
2. Ferris St. (Mich.) (3) 15-1 768 2 Sept. 5 vs. Findlay (Ohio) Tony Annese
3. Minnesota St. 13-1 686 3 Sept. 7 at Southwest Minnesota St. Todd Hoffner
4. Notre Dame (Ohio) 13-1 623 4 Sept. 7 vs. Concord (W.Va.) Mike Jacobs
5. Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) 12-1 585 6 Sept. 5 vs. No. 18 Harding (Ark.) Todd Knight
6. Northwest Missouri St. 10-3 580 10 Sept. 5 at Missouri Western St. Rich Wright
7. Tarleton St. (Texas) 12-1 549 5 Sept. 7 at Stephen F. Austin (Texas) Todd Whitten
8. Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) 12-2 524 8 Sept. 7 vs. St. Augustine’s (N.C.) Drew Cronic
9. Colorado St.-Pueblo 11-2 463 7 Sept. 7 at Dixie St. (Utah) John Wristen
10. Slippery Rock (Pa.) 11-3 446 12 Sept. 5 at Wayne St. (Mich.) Shawn Lutz
11. Fort Hays St. (Kan.) 9-3 419 22 Sept. 5 at Central Missouri Chris Brown
12. Grand Valley St. (Mich.) 10-2 418 14 Sept. 7 vs. Edinboro (Pa.) Matt Mitchell
13. Texas A&M-Commerce 10-3 385 9 Sept. 7 vs. Seleccion Nuevo Leon (Mexico) David Bailiff
14. Minnesota-Duluth 11-1 342 13 Sept. 5 vs. Minot St. (N.D.) Curt Wiese
15. West Georgia 10-2 330 16 Sept. 7 at Catawba (N.C.) David Dean
16. Indianapolis (Ind.) 10-2 319 11 Sept. 5 at No. 23 Ashland (Ohio) Chris Keevers
17. Colorado School of Mines 10-2 288 18 Sept. 7 at Adams St. (Colo.) Gregg Brandon
18. Harding (Ark.) 9-3 223 20 Sept. 5 at No. 5 Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) Paul Simmons
19. Hillsdale (Mich.) 10-3 220 15 Sept. 7 vs. Michigan Tech Keith Otterbein
20. Midwestern St. (Texas) 8-2 214 25 Sept. 7 at Northwestern St. (La.) Bill Maskill
21. Wingate (N.C.) 9-4 175 24 Sept. 5 at Johnson C. Smith (N.C.) Joe Reich
22. West Chester (Pa.) 10-1 134 17 Sept. 7 vs. Bentley (Mass.) Bill Zwaan
23. Ashland (Ohio) 6-4 129 NR Sept. 5 vs. No. 16 Indianapolis (Ind.) Lee Owens
24. West Alabama 8-4 116 NR Sept. 7 vs. Limestone (S.C.) Brett Gilliland
25. Fairmont St. (W.Va.) 9-2 78 NR Sept. 5 at Charleston (W.Va.) Jason Woodman

*Indicates Ranking in 2018 Final AFCA Division II Poll.

FHSU volleyball 10th in MIAA preseason poll

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team enters the 2019 season ranked 10th according to the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, released Monday (August 26) by the league office.

The Tigers earned 25 points in the balloting process, eight back of ninth-place Missouri Southern and 10 behind Emporia State in eighth place. Washburn topped the poll with seven first-place votes and 96 points. Nebraska-Kearney and Central Missouri split the final four first-place votes evenly, with the Lopers listed second in front of the Jennies in third.

Fort Hays State and second-year head coach Jessica Wood-Atkins look to build off last year’s 8-22 record. Eight newcomers join nine returners, including four starters, on the 2019 roster.

Tiger fans have two chances to catch the team in action inside Gross Memorial Coliseum during the preseason, including the annual Black and Gold Scrimmage and one exhibition contest. FHSU will hold its intersquad scrimmage on Tuesday, August 27 at 6 p.m. before hosting Friends University in an exhibition match Monday, September 2 at 4 p.m.

The regular season will kick off on Friday, September 6 when the Tigers head to Chadron, Neb. for four matches in the Eagle Classic. Fort Hays State will then return home to host the 2019 Tiger Classic September 13-14, including six matches each day beginning at 9 a.m.

2019 MIAA Preseason Volleyball Coaches Poll
1. Washburn (7) – 96 points
2. Nebraska Kearney (2) – 90 points
3. Central Missouri (2) – 83 points
4. Central Oklahoma – 71 points
5. Northwest Missouri – 67 points
6. Missouri Western – 54 points
7. Pittsburg State – 40 points
8. Emporia State – 35 points
9. Missouri Southern – 33 points
10. Fort Hays State – 25 points
11. Newman – 11 points

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