By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team was picked 11th in the 2024 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, released Friday (Aug. 28) by the league office.
The Tigers accumulated 28 points in the voting process, seven behind 10th-place Pittsburg State and 11 behind ninth-ranked Emporia State. Four teams received first-place votes, with Central Missouri topping the poll with five first-place votes and 113 points.
Fort Hays State returns seven players from last year’s team that turned in a record of 11-18. Returners include honorable mention All-MIAA selection Gracie Rains, 2021 honorable mention All-MIAA pick Claire Olson, Kirsten Evans, Taytum Lovesee, Ashlyn Reeves, Tallon Rentschler and Caiya Stucky.
Rains led the team with 265 kills last season, while Reeves ranked second in the MIAA with an average of 1.04 blocks per set. Stucky ranked fifth in the league with 936 assists, while Evans led the team with 24 service aces and Olson enters her senior season with 500 career kills and 195 career blocks.
Head coach Jessica Wood-Atkins, now in her seventh year at the helm at Fort Hays State, added nine newcomers to the roster in 2024, including eight freshmen and one transfer.
The Tigers will begin the season at the 2024 Mountain Lion Classic in Colorado Springs, Colo. Sept. 6-7 where they will take on U-Mary, Colorado-Colorado Springs and Cameron.
Fort Hays State will then return home to host the 2024 Tiger Classic September 13-14 where they will again battle UCCS along with matches against Truman State and Northwestern Oklahoma State.
The Tigers will then play five consecutive home conference matches in early October before rounding out their home schedule November 1-2.
2024 MIAA VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL
1. Central Missouri [5] – 113 points
2. Central Oklahoma [3] – 110 points
3. Nebraska Kearney [3] – 106 points
4. Washburn [1] – 90 points
5. Missouri Western – 81 points
6. Northwest Missouri – 68 points
7. Arkansas-Fort Smith – 62 points
8. Missouri Southern – 49 points
9. Emporia State – 39 points
10. Pittsburg State – 35 points
11. Fort Hays State – 28 points
12. Newman – 11 points
[#] – Number of First-Place Votes