Fort Hays State Volleyball (16-9, 3-5 MIAA)
at #23 Central Oklahoma (17-5, 4-2 MIAA)
Friday, October 23 • 6 p.m.
Edmond, Okla. • Hamilton Fieldhouse
 
at Newman (6-16, 1-5 MIAA)
Saturday, October 24 • 3 p.m.
Wichita, Kan. • Fugate Gymnasium
 
The Fort Hays State volleyball team returns to conference play this weekend with a pair of road contests. The Tigers will open a three-match road trip Friday (Oct. 23, 6 p.m.) in Edmond, Okla. against No. 23 Central Oklahoma before battling Newman in Wichita, Kan. on Saturday (Oct. 24, 3 p.m.)

The Tigers head into the weekend 16-9 overall and 3-5 in conference play, while the Bronchos bring in a record of 17-5 (4-2 MIAA) and the Jets carry a mark of 6-16 (1-5 MIAA).

Match Coverage
- Live video will be available on The MIAA Network. Fans can purchase access to single matches for $15, a reoccurring monthly subscription for $35 or a season-long all-access pass for $140.
- Live stats at Central Oklahoma will be available here, with stats from Newman available here.
 
Tickets
- Tickets at Central Oklahoma are available for $11 for adults and $6 for youth and seniors and can be purchased online here.
- Tickets at Newman are only available at the gate.
 
Nationally Ranked Opponents
- The Tigers have played seven nationally-ranked opponents so far this season, defeating No. 15 Washburn last week while taking at least one set in all but two of those matches.
- FHSU has two more regular season contests against ranked opponents on the schedule, including Friday's date with No. 23 Central Oklahoma and next weekend's match at No. 6 Nebraska-Kearney (Oct. 30, 6 p.m.).
 
MIAA Athletes of the Week
- Fort Hays State has earned three conference players of the week this season, with Annie Eaton picking up the setter award twice and Ella Goodwin garnering the offensive award once.
- The duo both earned MIAA Athletes of the Week after a big homecoming weekend, giving the Tigers multiple weekly award winners for the first time in a decade (Rebekah Spainhour and Hannah Wagy, 10/3/16).
- It was the second-straight weekly honor for Eaton, making her the first Tiger to earn multiple weekly awards from the conference office since Hannah Wagy in 2016.
- Goodwin averaged four kills per set and posted a swing rate of .478 in nine sets, totaling just four errors on the week. She added 10 digs and three blocks defensively.
- The right-side hitter reached double figures in kills in all three contests, totaling 15 against Kansas Wesleyan and adding 10 kills without an error to post a swing rate of .625 against Northeastern State.
- Eaton averaged 11.2 assists and 4.0 digs per frame while adding seven aces, five blocks and five kills.
- The setter recorded more than 30 assists in all three sweeps, including a weekly high of 35 against Arkansas-Fort Smith.
 
1K Milestone
- Annie Eaton surpassed 1,000 career assists last week, now with 1,080 over the last two seasons.
- The sophomore leads the MIAA and ranks 24th in Division II with 795 assists this season, while her 8.93 assists per set are second-most in the league.
 
Building Blocks
- Now with 366 career blocks, Ashlyn Reeves ranks fifth at FHSU during the DII era (since 1992).
- The senior middle needs eight blocks to tie for fourth (Lynn Smith, 1993-94, 374 career blocks).
- Reeves slots 10th in the conference with an average of 0.95 blocks per set this season.

Among the National Leaders
- The Tiger offense ranks sixth in Division II and second in the MIAA with 13.22 assists per set, while their 14.12 kills per frame are eighth in the nation and second in the league.
- FHSU leads the conference in total kills and assists, ranking third nationally with 1,177 assists and fourth with 1,257 kills.
 
Balanced Offensive Attack
- Four Tigers average at least 2.5 kills per set, with Goodwin leading the way at 3.11 kills per frame which is good for 10th in the conference.
- Mylie Brown ranks 16th in the conference with an average of 2.81 kills per stanza.
- Peyton Bergschneider puts down 2.67 kills per set, while Reeves is fourth on the team with an average of 2.54 kills per set.
 
Tops in the Conference
- Eaton's 34 service aces are second-most in the conference.
- Reeves ranks fourth in the conference with a hitting percentage of .347.
- Haylee Wolf is eighth in the conference with an average of 4.55 digs per frame.
- Carsyn Cormaney ranks second on the team and 12th in the conference with 58 blocks on the year.

On the Prowl
- Fort Hays State totaled 85 kills in its win over Pittsburg State, more than any other Division II team this season and tied for the most in a match at any level of NCAA volleyball in 2026 (Western Carolina, 85 kills vs. Samford, 10/2/26)
- That total is second-most at FHSU during the rally-scoring era (since 2001) and the most in a match by the Tigers since 2003.
 
Swinging for the Fences
After going 10 years without an attack percentage over .400 against a DII opponent, the Tigers reached that threshold twice in the first two weeks of this season. FHSU posted an attack percentage of .442 against Midwestern State at home and later added a swing rate of .425 against Sul Ross State in Grand Junction, Colo.
- The Tigers have hit .300 or better five times and have 15 performances of .250 or better.
 
Looking Ahead
FHSU will wrap up its regular season road schedule next Friday (Oct. 30) when the Tigers take on rival No. 6 Nebraska-Kearney beginning at 6 p.m. in Kearney, Neb.
 
Scouting the Opposition
No. 23 Central Oklahoma
Record: 17-5 (4-2 MIAA)
Series History: UCO leads, 28-11
Streak: UCO W16
Key Stats: Riding a season-long seven-match winning streak, undefeated at home this season (8-0), Georgia Ahlert 10-plus kills in 17-of-22 matches, Kate Wells third in MIAA with 1.25 blocks per set.
 
Newman
Record: 6-16 (1-5 MIAA)
Series History: FHSU leads, 26-7
Streak: FHSU W8
Key Stats: Third in MIAA with 38.2 attacks per set, Reese Daugherty 11th in MIAA with 3.58 digs per set, Madalyn Hoot 11th in MIAA with 5.53 assists per set.