Fort Hays State Volleyball (16-11, 3-7 MIAA)
at #6 Nebraska-Kearney (24-2, 10-0 MIAA)
Friday, October 30 • 6 p.m.
Kearney, Neb. • Health & Sports Center
 
The Fort Hays State volleyball team plays on the road for the final time in the regular season Friday (Oct. 30) when the Tigers take on rival No. 6 Nebraska-Kearney. First serve is slated for 6 p.m. from the Health & Sports Center in a non-conference affair.

The Tigers head into the weekend 16-11 overall and 3-7 in conference play, while the Lopers bring in a record of 24-2 (10-0 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 will be available here.
 
Tickets
- Tickets are available in advance online for $11 for adults and $6 for youth.
 
Nationally Ranked Opponents
- Friday's match will be FHSU's ninth time playing a nationally ranked opponent this season.
- The Tigers defeated No. 15 Washburn while taking at least one set in all but two of the previous eight matches.
 
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.
 
Building Blocks
- Ashlyn Reeves climbed to fourth at FHSU during the DII era (since 1992) last week, now with 376 career blocks.
- The senior middle needs 24 blocks to become the fourth player with 400 career blocks.
- Reeves slots 11th in the conference with an average of 0.98 blocks per set this season.

Among the National Leaders
- FHSU leads the conference in total kills and assists, ranking first nationally with 1,270 assists and second with 1,357 kills.
 
Balanced Offensive Attack
- Four Tigers average at least 2.5 kills per set, with Goodwin leading the way at 3.12 kills per frame which is good for seventh in the conference.
- Mylie Brown ranks 19th in the conference with an average of 2.81 kills per stanza.
- Peyton Bergschneider puts down 2.59 kills per set, while Reeves is fourth on the team with an average of 2.56 kills per set.
 
Tops in the Conference
- Annie Eaton ranks second in the conference with 8.87 assists per set and 35 total service aces.
- Reeves ranks fifth in the conference with a hitting percentage of .338.
- Haylee Wolf is eighth in the conference with an average of 4.54 digs per frame.
- Carsyn Cormaney ranks second on the team and 13th in the conference with 63 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 be back home to conclude the regular season next weekend (Nov. 6-7) when the Tigers host Central Missouri on Friday at 6 p.m. and Missouri Southern on Saturday at 3 p.m. The Tigers will honor a pair of seniors in Peyton Bergschneider and Ashlyn Reeves before the match on Saturday.
 
Scouting the Opposition
No. 6 Nebraska-Kearney
Record: 24-2 (10-0 MIAA)
Series History: UNK leads, 108-9
Streak: UNK W40
Key Stats: Leads the MIAA and ranks fifth in Division II with a team attack percentage of .288, leads the conference and ranks second nationally by holding teams to a swing rate of .112, Carly Purdy 3.18 kills per set, Sydney Davis 1.24 blocks per set, Ellie Spang 4.90 digs per set.