FHSU Athletics
#9 Fort Hays State Women's Basketball (0-0)
at Third Annual Central Region Showcase
St. Joseph, Mo. • Civic Arena
vs. #11 Concordia-St. Paul (0-0)
Friday, November 14, 2025 • 5 p.m.
vs. Sioux Falls (0-0)
Saturday, November 15, 2025 • 2 p.m.
Radio: KJLS (103.3) CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Video: MIAA Network: CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)
The ninth-ranked Fort Hays State women's basketball team will open the 2025-26 season at the Third Annual Central Region Showcase this weekend (Nov. 14-15) inside Civic Arena in St. Joseph, Mo. The Tigers will first battle 11th-ranked Concordia-St. Paul on Friday beginning at 5 p.m. before taking on Sioux Falls on Saturday starting at 2 p.m.
Radio coverage of Friday's game will be available on KJLS 103.3 FM or online here, with Greg Rahe on the call, while Dustin Armbruster will be on the call for Saturday's contest on KFIX 96.9 FM or online here. Live stats of both games will be available online here.
The Tigers are beginning the 57th season in program history with an all-time record of 1010-525, good for a winning percentage of .658. FHSU has reached the 20-win plateau in each of the last 14 seasons, the longest active streak in Division II and tied for sixth-longest across all NCAA divisions.
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 five DI programs have longer active stretches of 20-win seasons, including UConn (32), Baylor (25), Stanford (23), Florida Gulf Coast (21) and Louisville (15). Fort Hays State's run of 14-straight 20-win seasons is tied with South Carolina and South Dakota State for sixth-best in all NCAA women's basketball.
Fort Hays State is ranked ninth in the WBCA Preseason Coaches Poll, making this the seventh time the Tigers have cracked the top 25 in the preseason release. The Tigers have been listed in 121 different releases of the poll, including 80 appearances in the top 10. FHSU is 185-48 all-time when ranked, including a 131-28 mark when ranked inside the top 10 and a 9-2 record when ranked ninth.
The Tigers were picked first in this year's MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll and second in the Preseason Media Poll. This is the fourth time the coaches have picked FHSU to win the league, all occurring during the last seven seasons.
This is the sixth time the Tigers have opened the regular season in St. Joseph, Mo. over the last 10 years. FHSU is 16-10 in St. Joe during the DII era (since 1991-92), including a perfect 10-0 record in neutral site matchups and a 6-0 mark inside the Civic Arena. The Tigers have played in each of the last two renditions of the Central Region Showcase, defeating Minot State and Minnesota State to open the 2023-24 season before topping Augustana and MSU Moorhead to start last season.
The Tigers had one non-conference tune up before Friday's opener, falling to the Kansas Jayhawks 90-59 two weeks ago (Oct. 29). The Tigers led by double figures after the first six minutes, hitting seven of their first nine shots to race in front 16-6. FHSU hit seven 3-pointers, including two each from Talexa Weeter and Ellie Stearns. Weeter led the way with 25 points on 11-of-21 shooting, with Stearns adding 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
Weeter is one of two returning honorable mention All-MIAA picks for the Tigers alongside point guard Brooke Loewe. The Huxley, Iowa native broke FHSU's single season assists record last season, leading all Division II with 233 assists as a junior for an average of 7.3 per game. She distributed 10 or more assists six times in 32 games last year.
Head coach Talia Kahrs enters her third year at the helm with a record of 53-13, winning more than 80 percent of her games over the last two seasons.
The Tigers are 49-20 all-time against current NSIC programs, including a 4-2 record during the Kahrs era.
FHSU is 3-0 in recorded history on November 14, including most recently a 71-34 win over Southwest Minnesota State in 2015. Meanwhile, the Tigers are 9-2 in recorded history on November 15, including most recently a 77-52 win over Adams State last fall.
Scouting Concordia-St. Paul
- The Golden Bears were tied for second in the NSIC Preseason Poll after winning the league last season, finishing 29-3 overall and 20-2 in NSIC play.
- CSP earned the No. 2 seed in the Central Regional last season, but lost to Southwest Minnesota State in the opening round.
- Senior guard Lydia Haack was tabbed as a NSIC Player to Watch after earning first team All-NSIC honors last season. She averaged 16.8 points per game and hit 45 percent from the field and 36 percent from beyond the arc in 2024-25.
- Head coach Amanda Johnson enters her 11th season with the Golden Bears with a career record of 170-98.
Series History with the Golden Bears
- The Tigers are 1-1 all-time against CSP, including a 1-0 record in neutral site meetings.
- The teams played inside this same building in 2019, with the Tigers winning 67-54.
- Concordia-St. Paul won the first-ever meeting, winning 70-68 in St. Paul, Minn. in 2014. That loss was the first of four for the 2014-15 team. The Tigers won 21 in a row after that loss, the program's longest winning streak in a single season.
Last Meeting with Concordia-St. Paul (Full box score on page 36)
- Seventh-ranked Fort Hays State beat the Golden Bears 67-54 inside the Civic Arena in St. Joseph, Mo. six years ago (11/9/19).
- The Tigers dominated the first and fourth quarters, outscoring CSP 22-12 in the first period and 22-8 over the final 10 minutes.
- Kacey Kennett led all scorers with 20 points and dished out a team-high five assists, while Belle Barbieri tallied a double-double with 13 points and 16 rebounds.
Scouting the Cougars
- Sioux Falls is tied with CSP in second place in the 2025-26 NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll.
- The Cougars return the majority of last year's squad that finished 17-14 overall and 12-10 in NSIC play.
- Kami Wadsworth was named an NSIC Player to Watch after earning first team All-NSIC honors a year ago when she averaged 18.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
- Head coach Travis Traphagen enters his 18th year with the Cougars with a lifetime record of 301-187.
Series History with Sioux Falls
- The Tigers are 2-0 all-time against the Cougars, with both wins coming in the last four seasons.
- Fort Hays State is 1-0 against USF in neutral site matchups, with that game being played across town at the MWSU Fieldhouse as a part of the Hillyard Tip-Off Classic.
- The Tigers are also 1-0 on the road against USF.
Last Meeting with Sioux Falls (Full box score on page 36)
- The third-ranked Fort Hays State Tigers defeated the Cougars early in the 2022-23 season, winning 66-50 on the road as a part of the Courtyard Sioux Falls Tip-Off Classic (11/12/22).
- Four Tigers scored in double figures, while the FHSU defense forced 17 turnovers.
- The Tigers dominated on the boards, outrebounding the Cougars 35-25.
- Olivia Hollenbeck led all scorers with 21 points, while Katie Wagner added 14 points and 11 rebounds.
- Two current Tigers started in that game as true freshmen, with Brooke Loewe totaling 10 points, six assists and three rebounds and Ellie Stearns adding three rebounds and one assist.
Looking Ahead
The Tigers will make the short drive to Wichita, Kan. for the Newman Classic next weekend (Nov. 21-22) where they will take on Eastern New Mexico on Friday and William Jewell on Saturday. Both contests are slated to begin at 3 p.m.