Fort Hays State (13-3, 2-2 MIAA) at
#2 Nebraska-Kearney (17-0, 4-0 MIAA)
Tuesday, October 7  •  6 p.m.
Kearney, Neb. •  Health and Sports Center

Fort Hays State Volleyball heads north on Tuesday evening for a midweek MIAA matchup with Nebraska-Kearney. The Lopers are still undefeated on the year, now at 17-0 and ranked No. 2 in the nation, while Fort Hays State enters the contest at 13-3 overall.
 
Nebraska-Kearney is one of three MIAA teams among the Top 10 of the latest AVCA Division II Top 25 Poll. The Lopers have the best overall record among the top three ranked teams in the nation, which includes a pair of undefeated teams in Florida – Tampa (12-0) and Barry (11-0). Central Oklahoma was No. 1 last week, but suffered its first loss of the season and now sits at 17-1 overall and moved to No. 4 in this week's poll. Washburn holds the No. 9 ranking, also with just one loss on the season. Central Missouri moved into the Top 25 (No. 24) this week after its win over Central Oklahoma.
 
Nebraska-Kearney is the first of three teams referenced in the Oct. 6 AVCA poll the Tigers will face this week. FHSU will play aforementioned No. 9 ranked Washburn on Friday and then a receiving votes Emporia State team on Saturday.
 
The 13-3 overall record is the best the Tigers have carried into a matchup with Nebraska-Kearney since the 2016 season, when they opened MIAA play that year at UNK with an overall record of 12-0. The Lopers were ranked No. 3 in the nation in that matchup and won by a count of 3-1 on their home floor. FHSU took a set off UNK in both regular season matchups between the schools last year. UNK held national rankings of No. 3 and No. 6 in those meetings. The Lopers were ranked No. 3 again in the MIAA Tournament meeting between the teams last year in St. Joseph, Mo. UNK was 16-0 going into its first meeting with FHSU last year.
 
Ashlyn Reeves leads FHSU with 145 kills and a 2.59 kills per set average. She also leads the team in blocks with 50 for the season, averaging 0.89 per set. Abrey Galt averages 6.26 assists per set, while Kirsten Evans averages 3.65 digs per set. The Tigers have several offensive options with seven players producing 90 or more kills so far this season.