Thanks to a 7-0 start to the regular season and a victory over a ranked team in Pittsburg State, the Fort Hays State women's basketball team was recognized in the latest iterations of both national Division II polls. The Tigers are receiving votes in the WBCA Coaches' Poll and have been ranked 10th in the D2SIDA Media Poll, released Tuesday (Dec. 5) by both organizations. The coaches' poll is comprised of ballots from 24 Division II coaches across the country, while the media poll is made up of votes from 16 sports information directors in Division II.
 
The Tigers picked up 18 points in the voting process in the coaches' poll, placing them 15 points and four spots outside the top 25. FHSU earned 249 points in the media poll, three points clear of the 11th place team.
 
This is the first time this season the Tigers have been mentioned in the coaches' poll. FHSU was receiving votes in last week's rendition of the media poll. The media poll also includes a regional poll, in which the Tigers jumped to the No. 1 spot after defeating Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State over the weekend.
 
Fort Hays State has now been mentioned in the coaches' poll six years in a row. The Tigers are 51-22 all-time while ranked in the Top 25 and 47-21 under head coach Tony Hobson.
 
Two other MIAA programs are ranked in the coaches poll, with Central Missouri slotted 10th and Central Oklahoma ranked 25th. Nine Central Region programs are recognized in the latest coaches poll, including six teams in front of FHSU. UCM is the top team in the region, with No. 14 Northern State, No. 19 Southwestern Oklahoma State and No. 23 Augustana joining the two MIAA programs in the top 25.
 
The Tigers are set to hit the road for the first time in nearly one month when they travel to play in-state rivals Washburn and Emporia State. First up is a date with the Ichabods Wednesday (Dec. 6) in Topeka.

Below is the WBCA Division II Coaches' Poll for December 5, 2017, followed by the D2SIDA Women's Basketball Media Poll.

2017-18 WBCA Division II Top 25 Coaches' Poll

Rank	Team (1st)	Record	Points	Last Week
1	Ashland (24)	8-0	600	1
2	Alaska Anchorage	8-0	574	2
3	Bentley	8-0	553	3
4	West Texas A&M	7-0	517	5
5	Indiana (Pa.)	7-0	486	7
6	Lubbock Christian	9-1	451	8
7	Drury	7-10	401	9
8	Carson-Newman	9-0	383	15
9	Virginia Union	7-1	360	10
10	Central Missouri	5-1	347	12
11	California (Pa.)	7-1	346	4
12	Rollins	7-1	297	6
13	Azusa Pacific	11-1	277	17
14	Northern State	6-1	276	16
15	Wingate	6-1	258	14
16	Edinboro	7-0	229	24
17	University of the Sciences	6-0	219	20
18	Michigan Tech	8-1	194	18
19	Southwestern Oklahoma St.	8-0	167	25
20	Fort Lewis	6-1	166	11
21	Seattle Pacific	6-1	153	13
22	Southern Indiana	8-0	123	RV
23	Augustana	7-0	95	RV
24	Cedarville	5-1	92	RV
25	Central Oklahoma	6-1	33	21

Others receiving votes: Grand Valley State (7-1) 21; Minnesota State Moorhead (5-1) 20; Glenville State (6-1) 19; Colorado Mesa (8-0) 18; Fort Hays State (7-0) 18; Union (TN) (7-1) 17; Montana State Billings (7-0) 14; North Georgia (5-1) 10; Southeastern Oklahoma State (5-2) 10; Pittsburg State (6-2) 8; Stonehill (5-1) 8; Lander (5-2) 7; Embry Riddle (6-1) 5. Seven teams mentioned on only one ballot for a total of 26 combined points.

2017-18 D2SIDA Women's Basketball Week 3 Media National Poll

Rank	Team (1st)	Record	Points	Last Week
1	Ashland (15)	8-0	399	1
2	Alaska Anchorage (1)	8-0	378	2
3	IUP	7-0	357	4
4	Bentley	8-0	352	3
5	Lubbock Christian	9-1	327	7
6	Carson-Newman	9-0	315	8
7	West Texas A&M	7-0	287	9
8	Rollins	7-1	268	5
9	Southern Indiana	8-0	256	14
10	Fort Hays State	7-0	249	RV
11	USciences	6-0	246	13
12	Azusa Pacific	11-1	229	15
13	Edinboro	7-0	212	16
T14	Southwestern Oklahoma	8-0	171	25
T14	Michigan Tech	8-1	171	18
16	Wingate	6-1	129	24
T17	Union	7-1	124	RV
T17	Colorado Mesa	8-0	124	RV
19	St. Thomas Aquinas	7-0	123	22
20	Augustana	7-0	92	NR
21	Virginia Union	7-1	83	NR
22	Drury	7-1	58	NR
23	North Alabama	7-0	55	NR
24	UC San Diego	6-2	47	RV
25	Black Hills State	8-0	37	NR

Others receiving votes: Lander (31), California (21), Arkansas Tech (19), Seattle Pacific (13), Eckerd (6), Grand Valley (5) Limestone (3)