Fort Hays State Volleyball (13-6, 2-5 MIAA)
vs. #4 Central Oklahoma (18-2, 4-2 MIAA)
Friday, October 17, 2025 • 6 p.m.
Hays, Kan. • Gross Memorial Coliseum
 
vs. Arkansas-Fort Smith (13-6, 3-3 MIAA)
Saturday, October 18, 2025 • 1 p.m.
Hays, Kan. • Gross Memorial Coliseum
 
After playing each of the last five matches on the road, the Fort Hays State volleyball team returns to Gross Memorial Coliseum this weekend (Oct. 17-18) to host a pair of conference rivals. The Tigers will first take on fourth-ranked Central Oklahoma on Friday beginning at 6 p.m. before taking on Arkansas-Fort Smith at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
 
The Tigers enter the weekend 13-6 overall and 2-5 in league play. The Bronchos are 18-2 on the year and 4-2 in conference action, while the Lions are also 13-6 this season and 3-3 in MIAA contests.
 
Tickets can be purchased in advance online here or at the door. Adult tickets cost $5 and youth K-12 cost $3. Live video will be available for both matches via The MIAA Network on a pay-per-view basis. Fans can purchase access to a single broadcast for $15, a monthly recurring subscription for $35 and a year-long MIAA Network All-Access pass for $140. Live stats for both matches will be available online here. In addition, radio coverage of Friday's match against the Bronchos will be available on KAYS 94.3 FM/1400 AM with voice of the Tigers Gerard Wellbrock on the call.
 
Gracie Rains now leads the Tigers offensively, averaging 2.63 kills per set to rank 18th in the league. The senior is one of four Tigers to average at least two kills per frame alongside Ashlyn Reeves (2.48 k/s), Peyton Bergschneider (2.02 k/s) and Ella Goodwin (2.00 k/s).
 
Kirsten Evans paces FHSU with 3.61 digs per set, 12th-most in the conference, while the libero is third in the league with 29 service aces on the year. Grace Schmedding also ranks in the top 20 in the conference in digs with an average of 2.90 per set.
 
Reeves leads the Tigers in blocks, averaging 0.82 per set to rank 14th in the conference. Setter Abrey Galt is dishing out 6.23 assists per set, eighth-most in the league. Caiya Stucky Reyes is hitting .292 on the year, ranking 17th in the MIAA.
 
After opening the year with 17-straight wins, the Bronchos have dropped two of their last three contests. UCO leads the country with 20.47 digs per set and they rank 14th nationally with 14.09 kills per frame. Kaitlyn Parrott leads the MIAA and ranks fourth nationally with an average of 5.86 digs per frame, while Lindsey Houran leads the league and is seventh in Division II with 10.30 assists per stanza.
 
The Tigers are 10-27 all-time against Central Oklahoma, including losses in each of the last 15 meetings. FHSU last defeated the Bronchos in 2014, doing so in four sets in Edmond. The Bronchos are 12-0 against the Tigers in Hays.
 
Arkansas-Fort Smith enters the week 13-6 overall, including a 4-2 mark in true road matches. The Lions lead the conference with an average of 1.92 aces per set while they rank third in both blocks per set (2.53) and opposing hitting percentage (.134). Scarlette Young leads the MIAA and ranks seventh in DII with 40 aces on the year, while Crystal Smith is second in the league with 1.38 blocks per frame.
 
Fort Hays State evened the all-time series against UAFS at 1-1 with a five-set victory last season, with the Tigers rallying from two sets down on the road to win in five sets. This is the first-ever meeting between the Tigers and Lions in Hays.
 
Looking ahead, the Tigers will play only once next week when FHSU hosts fifth-ranked Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday (Oct. 25) beginning at 3 p.m.