The annual Pass, Set, Pink night for Fort Hays State University Volleyball, sponsored by the FHSU Foundation, is set for Tuesday night at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays. FHSU will host rival Nebraska-Kearney, ranked sixth nationally, at 7 p.m.
A Silent Auction begins at 6 p.m., when gates open, with winners announced between the second and third sets of the match. Additionally, the FHSU Foundation has donated $500 towards the PINK Scholarship, and will sponsor a giveaway of 300 pink mini-volleyballs for the game.
All proceeds benefit the PINK Scholarship fund, established by the Tiger Volleyball program, which benefits an FHSU student that has been affected by cancer.
The Tigers (12-12, 6-9 Mid America Intercollegiate Athletics Association) have won five straight matches, and are just one conference win short of tying their highest conference win total as members of the MIAA. With seven matches to play, the FHSU will look to finish strong and improve on a predicted No. 10 finish from the MIAA Coaches’ Preseason Poll.
Tuesday’s matchup is rematch of a near-upset from earlier this season in Kearney, Neb., when the Tigers took UNK to five sets for the first time since 2003.
Callie Christensen had a breakout performance last weekend, swinging a red-hot .606 over two games, with 22 kills on 33 attempts, committing just one error. Christensen’s best game of the season came last weekend versus Pittsburg State, where she hit .846 with 11 kills on 13 attempts, adding seven blocks.
Mallory Flagor continues to rank near the top of the MIAA in kills, sitting fifth with a team-high 306 kills for the season – already passing her previous career-mark of 243 kills. During the Tigers’ current win streak, Raegan Vanderplas’ 107 total assists leads the team, as she has averaged 5.64 assists per set, passing the 20-assist mark in four of the previous five matches.
Keanu Bradley, second in the MIAA in total digs, averaged 6.25 digs per set in last weekend’s games, and has 456 digs for the season. At her current pace of 5.24 digs per set, Bradley would finish with the fourth highest digs per set average for a season in FHSU history.
UNK (21-2, 13-2 MIAA) is first in the conference standings, led offensively by Kelle Carver’s 236 kills. Setter Erin Seele has picked up 939 assists on the year, averaging 11.74 per set, while her 239 digs is second on the team behind Liz McGowan (who has 327 digs). At the net, Tara Ziegelbein’s 60 blocks paces the squad.
Fans wearing pink will be given free admission to Tuesday’s match.
PINK t-shirts will be on sale for $15, courtesy of the Volleyball program. The shirts will match the Tigers’ pre-game warm-ups for Tuesday night’s contest, and are also on sale now. To order a shirt, contact assistant coach Crystal Foss at cmfoss@mail.fhsu.edu, or call 785-628-4363.