FHSU Sports Information
Fort Hays State rides a three-match win streak into a pair of MIAA matches at home this weekend, hosting Southwest Baptist on Friday (Oct. 24) at 7 pm and then Pittsburg State Saturday (Oct. 25) at 6:30 pm. The Tigers eye the .500 mark overall, entering the weekend at 10-12 overall and 4-9 in the MIAA. With a pair of wins, the Tigers will have an opportunity to move back into the middle of the pack in the MIAA standings.
The Tigers are coming off a road swing last weekend that saw them defeat Missouri Southern, Central Oklahoma, and Bacone College. The Tigers gained a season sweep of Missouri Southern and a season split with Central Oklahoma, which entered that match 17-3 overall.
Fort Hays State now looks to end its woes at home, where it has played to just a record of 1-5 this season. Missouri Southern was the only team the Tigers have defeated on their home floor this year as FHSU has dropped its last five matches inside Gross Memorial Coliseum. The Tigers have been better away from home this year with an overall mark of 9-7, playing to a .500 mark (5-5) in true road matches. The Tigers look to gain separation from a pair of teams near them in the conference standings. Pittsburg State is currently tied with the Tigers for eighth at 4-9, while Southwest Baptist is just a game back at 3-10.
Last weekend, Mallory Flagor recorded 33 kills and Taylor Mares added 24 to lead the Tigers in their three-match run. Redshirt-freshman Kaitlin Bradley and sophomore Raegan Vanderplas provided a spark for the Tigers, Bradley with 22 kills (including a season-high 12 against Missouri Southern) and Vanderplas with 60 assists (6.0 per set). Kristin Conor joined Vanderplas to average 11.27 assists per set in the two-setter offense, helping the team to average a solid 13.0 assists per set on the weekend. Teresa Wade (21 kills) and Rebekah Spainhour (19 kills) also balanced out the Tiger attack. Callie Christensen played big at the net with 15 blocks, averaging a very solid 1.67 per set, while adding 11 kills.
This weekend, Flagor eyes the 300-kill mark for the season, currently with 280 for the season. Keanu Bradley just passed the 400-dig mark last weekend, now with 406 for the season.