Story by CAYDEN SANDERS
Tiger Media Network
The Fort Hays State volleyball team ended the non-conference schedule 11-1, including eight straight victories. Now, the Tigers open up their MIAA schedule with Missouri Southern and Central Missouri during homecoming week.
“I think the challenge is for this team mentally to take that next step. They are a tremendous group of athletes, highly skilled and talented all the way around. It’s pushing to that next step of strategy, and how do we beat that team,” FHSU Head Coach Jessica Wood-Atkins said. “Given what we know, what skill set we have, we have to get after it that quick. I think just that shift in mindset, and strategy, and knowing that you know the past is the past.”
Coming into this season, the Tigers’ goal is to get back to the MIAA Tournament after last season’s appearance. It was their first MIAA Tournament appearance since 2021, and third since joining the MIAA in 2006.
“I just think they’re stronger right now, physically, mentally, emotionally, than we were at this point last season,” Wood-Atkins said. “They battled hard to get into the tournament last year. And I think their level of confidence is stronger. It’s on another level. I think because we dipped our toe in, now they know they can, and now it’s more like we will mentally.”
Fort Hays had to fight to get the final spot in the tournament, earning the eighth seed. Last year, the Tigers defeated all of the teams that did not make it to the tournament while also stealing sets against the top two teams in the conference in order to earn enough KPI points to earn the eighth seed.
“It was awesome. Super cool experience for everybody. I think the returners want to go back, because we got a taste of that, we want it again,” senior setter Caiya Stucky Reyes said. “I also think that there’s a lot of good leadership on this team, we’ve got a really awesome senior class. It’s our last rodeo, so why not make it all the way.”
Coming into the MIAA portion of the schedule, the team feels that the non-conference schedule has given them pieces of what conference opponents do.
“We’ve seen some parts and pieces from different groups that are reminders of some of the MIAA teams that we’re going to see. We’ve been able to compete against some of those pieces before we get into MIAA play,” Wood-Atkins said. “We played some really tough teams, like Rockhurst, Oklahoma Baptist, Augustana, and Arkansas Tech. We played some legitimate teams that are very comparable to the MIAA.”
Fort Hays State’s mindset going into the conference is looking at each weekend as one opponent at a time.
“The next game is the most important game. It doesn’t matter whether it’s homecoming or away, that next match is the most important match. So we try not to make any one match more important than the next,” Wood-Atkins said. “I think when you do that, you overlook opponents, or you put them on a pedestal, and neither one of those is good. We’re just taking that Friday is the next most important match, regardless of homecoming or not. I hope we have a great crowd, but we’re here to compete.”
The Tigers will take on Missouri Southern on Friday night. Last season, the Tigers defeated the Lions in the conference opener on the road 3-1.
Fort Hays finishes their homecoming week with Central Missouri. The Jennies bested the Tigers 3-1 in Warrensburg last season.
“I can’t stress enough how much we don’t really care who’s on the other side of the net, other than like the scouting report and strategy, we’re so worried about us and how we can put ourselves in the best position to win each set one at a time, that it’s almost irrelevant who’s across it,” Stucky Reyes said.
The match between Fort Hays State and Missouri Southern is set for 6:00 pm tonight in Gross Memorial Coliseum. On Saturday, the Tigers welcome Central Missouri for a 1:00 pm start in GMC.
“Every team is starting out fresh. Every match is a new match, and so you have to go in with fresh eyes and figure out what they’re doing right away, and bring our game right away,” Wood-Atkins said.