Fort Hays State Women's Basketball (0-0, 0-0 MIAA)
vs. Tabor (2-2, 0-0 KCAC)
Monday, November 9, 2026 • 5:30 p.m.
Hays, Kan. • Gross Memorial Coliseum

The Fort Hays State women's basketball team opens the 58th season in program history Monday evening (Nov. 9) when the Tigers host Tabor College. First tip is set for 5:30 p.m. inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.

Game Coverage
Live video will be available on The MIAA Network, with subscriptions available at $15 per game, $35 for a monthly subscription or $140 for an all-access pass. Radio coverage will be available on KJLS 103.3 FM or online here, with voice of the Tigers Gerard Wellbrock on the call. Live stats will be available online here.
 
Tickets
General admission tickets are available in advance or at the door at a cost of $12 for adults and $5 for youth K-12. Children 5 and under get in free of charge.

Roster Report
- The 2026-27 Tiger squad returns seven student-athletes, including a pair of starters in Olivia Mortensen and Avery Lowe.
- Head coach Talia Kahrs added five players to the squad this year, including three freshmen and two senior transfers.
- Nia McKenzie joined the squad with MIAA experience after playing for Washburn, while Kenlee Durrill has Division I experience after transferring from the University of the Pacific.
- All three freshmen were state champions as seniors, including Arika Feldman at Little River (Kan.) HS, Kailyn Hanni at Silver Lake (Kan.) HS and Hadley Walsh at Pender (Neb.) HS.
- Hanni was named KBCA Miss Kansas Basketball in 2026, becoming the second-such honoree to play at Fort Hays State over the last four years alongside Talexa Weeter.
- Feldman was a three-time all-state selection, including a Class 1A DI Player of the Year recognition as a senior from Sports in Kansas.
- Walsh is no stranger to a winning culture after winning four state titles with the Pendragons. She was named the Class C2 Player of the Year as a senior by NebPreps.
- Additional returners include juniors Callie Ott and Maddy Powell and sophomores Mikayla Pilley, Kaitlin Schumann and Izzy Spagnoletti.
 
Opening the Year Right
- FHSU is 39-18 all-time in season openers.
- The Tigers have won 21 of their last 22 season openers dating back to 2004.
- FHSU is 3-0 in its first game of the season under head coach Talia Kahrs.
 
Non-Conference? No Problem!
- Dating back to the start of the 2009-10 season, Fort Hays State is 118-5 in non-conference, regular season games.
- The Tigers have won 27 straight non-conference, regular season games, with the last loss coming in November 2022 (65-63 vs. No. 15 Minnesota State).
- Head coach Talia Kahrs is 24-0 in regular season, non-conference matchups.
 
20 Wins Now the Norm
- Fort Hays State has reached the 20-win plateau for a 15th-consecutive season, extending the longest active streak of 20-win seasons in Division II. FHSU's streak is tied for the fourth-longest active streak across all NCAA divisions.
- FHSU reached the 20-win plateau just eight times over the first 42 years of the program before the current streak began in 2011-12, including no more than two consecutive 20-win campaigns during that time.
- The next-best active streak of 20-win seasons in the MIAA is four (MWSU), while the next-best streak in DII is Drury with 12.
- Only three DI programs have longer active stretches of 20-win seasons, including UConn (33), Baylor (26) and Louisville (16), while FHSU is tied with South Carolina and South Dakota St.
 
Series History with Tabor
- The Tigers are 25-0 all-time against Tabor, including a 21-0 mark inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.
- The Tigers and Bluejays have played each of the last four seasons.
- FHSU is 3-0 against TC under head coach Talia Kahrs.
- The Tigers defeated Tabor 75-37 last season in Hays (12/16/25).
 
Last Meeting with the Bluejays
- The No. 7 Tigers cruised to a 75-37 win over Tabor last December inside Gross Memorial Coliseum (12/16/25).
- Ten different Tigers scored in the win, including 23 points from Talexa Weeter and 10 points from Ellie Stearns.
- The Tiger defense forced 20 turnovers and limited the Bluejays to just 25 percent shooting for the game (15-of-60).
 
Class of the Conference
- Since joining the MIAA in 2006-07 (20 seasons), the Tigers lead the league with 436 wins, averaging 21.8 wins per season during that time.
 
Making it a Habit
- After reaching the NCAA Tournament once in its first 23 years in the Association, Fort Hays State has now been selected to compete in the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship 10 times over the last 12 seasons.
 
Preseason Prognostications
- Fort Hays State is listed at No. 2 in both MIAA Preseason Polls (Coaches and Media).
- The Tigers have been no lower than fifth in each of the last 15 preseason coaches polls, including eight appearances in the top two in the preseason poll.
 
Double-Digit Winning Streaks
- FHSU's season-long winning streak of 12 games last year was the 17th double-digit streak in team history and is tied for seventh-longest in team history.
- Fort Hays State had multiple unique 10-game winning streaks in a season three times, in 1990-91, 2018-19 and 2024-25.
 
Century Mark
FHSU has 25 100-point outings in its illustrious history, most recently a 100-59 win over Rogers State (2/20/20), which was the first time FHSU scored 100 points against a Division II opponent since 2013 (114-86 vs Newman, 1/26/13).
 
Home Sweet Home
- Fort Hays State led Division II with an average attendance of 2,349 fans per game last season.
- That would rank 71st in Division I, higher than three Big 12 schools (Cincinnati, UCF, Houston), two Big 10 schools (Penn State, Northwestern) and one SEC school (Florida).
- Three of the top five attended games last season in Division II and six of the top 12 were played inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.
- The Tigers have the MIAA in attendance for the 13th-consecutive season.
- FHSU has led Division II in attendance four times and has been in the top two each of the last 12 years.
 
Nationally Recognized
- The Tigers are receiving votes in the WBCA Preseason Coaches Poll, sitting two spots outside the top 25.
- After spending the entirety of the last two seasons inside the national top 25, this is the first time the Tigers are not ranked since the final poll in 2024.
- Fort Hays State had been mentioned in the last 36 polls, snapping the longest streak in team history.
- It is the first time the Tigers are not in the preseason top 25 since 2023-24.

Monday Night Basketball
- The Tigers are 2-0 on Mondays under head coach Talia Kahrs.