FHSU Athletics
HAYS, Kan. - Fort Hays State head volleyball coach Jessica Wood-Atkins has announced the 2025 Tiger volleyball signing class. The group of five incoming Tigers includes one outside hitter, one right-side hitter, one middle hitter, one setter and one defensive specialist. The class includes athletes from three different states, including two newcomers from Kansas and Illinois and one from Colorado. Four will be true freshmen in the fall, while one is a junior transfer.
The 2025 recruiting class includes Peyton Bergschneider, Lauren Clawson, Kaitlyn Cure, Annie Eaton and Kara Feist. This incoming class joins a Tiger squad that advanced to the MIAA Championship Tournament last season.
Peyton Bergschneider
OH | 5-10 | Springfield, Ill.
Lincoln Land CC | Pleasant Plains HS
Peyton Bergschneider joins the Tigers after two successful seasons at Lincoln Land Community College in her hometown of Springfield, Ill. Bergschneider was a two-time first team NJCAA All-Region 24 selection in addition to a pair of All-MWAC recognitions, including first team honors as a sophomore in 2024. She was also the Mid-West Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year in 2023. The outside hitter averaged 3.41 kills, 3.03 digs, 0.33 blocks and 0.44 service aces per set while swinging at a .213 rate in 68 matches as a Logger, leading the team in kills both seasons while leading the team in digs as a freshman. She totaled 821 kills in 241 sets, adding 731 digs, 80 blocks (23 solo), 105 service aces and 53 assists.
Bergschneider was a 2023 graduate of Pleasant Plains High School in Pleasant Plains, Ill. where she earned three varsity letters in volleyball. She was voted Small School Player of the Year as a senior in 2022 in addition to earning All-State honorable mention status and Sangamon County first team all-conference recognition. Bergschneider was chosen as a Channel 1450 All-Area Player of the Week in addition to earning Illinois State Scholar honors and Scholar Athlete of the Week recognition for her work in the classroom.
Lauren Clawson
MH | 6-0 | Monument, Colo.
Palmer Ridge HS
Lauren Clawson has signed with the Tigers after graduating from Palmer Ridge High School in her hometown of Monument, Colo. Clawson was an all-conference selection as a senior and helped the Bears win the state championship as a junior in 2023. She helped the team to three consecutive regional titles from 2022-24, reaching the state tournament all three years. The middle hitter earned Athlete of the Week recognition at her school as a senior was awarded the team spirit award as a sophomore and junior.
Clawson earned an academic letter each year throughout her high school tenure, earning first team All-Academic honors as a junior and senior. She was nominated for the Rotary Champions Scholarship for her work in the classroom.
Kaitlyn Cure
DS | 5-9 | Andover, Kan.
Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic HS
Kaitlyn Cure will be a freshman in the fall at Fort Hays State after completing her high school career at Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic High School in Wichita, Kan. The Andover, Kan. native was a four-time all-league selection in her time as a Crusader, picking up first team honors as a junior and senior after receiving honorable mention status as a freshman and sophomore. The defensive specialist helped Kapaun claim a sub-state championship as a senior, ultimately placing fourth at the 5A state tournament in the first trip to state for the school in more than a decade.
Cure was a two-time Wichita Eagle All-Metro pick, receiving second team status as a senior and third team honors as a junior. She was selected by her teammates to be a team captain both as a junior and senior. She totaled 778 digs, 531 kills, 211 aces and 61 blocks in her high school career, averaging 3.3 digs per set as a senior.
Annie Eaton
S | 5-8 | Quincy, Ill.
Quincy Notre Dame HS
Annie Eaton heads to Hays after a successful career at Quincy Notre Dame High School in her hometown of Quincy, Ill. She was a four-year starter at setter, racking up a school-record 3,082 assists which ranks fifth most in Illinois High School Association history. She was a first team All-State selection and was named Michio Chicago/illprepvb.com Player of the Year in 2024 after racking up a school-record 884 assists as a senior. Eaton helped the Raiders to three Illinois Class 2A quarterfinal appearances, winning 134 matches and posting a winning percentage of 88.7 percent in her four seasons. She added 845 digs, 238 aces and 363 kills in her high-school career.
Eaton also played soccer as a freshman at QND, helping the Raiders to the IHSA Class 2A state championship as a starter at forward.
Kara Feist
RS | 5-11 | Great Bend, Kan.
Great Bend HS
Kara Feist has signed with Fort Hays State after four years as a multi-sport standout at Great Bend High School in her hometown of Great Bend, Kan. A 5-11 right-side hitter, Feist was a two-time All-WAC selection, picking up first team honors as a junior in 2023 and second team status as a senior in 2024. She helped the Panthers to a school-record 35 wins as a senior, guiding the team to a sub-state championship and a berth into the KSHSAA Class 5A State Tournament. Feist helped Great Bend win back-to-back Western Athletic Conference titles, the first volleyball conference championships for the school in two decades. She compiled 214 kills, 75 blocks and a .282 hitting percentage as a senior.
A four-year letterwinner in volleyball, Feist also earned three varsity letters in track and field and two in basketball. She picked up multiple first team All-WAC honors in track and field competing in sprints and jumps. Feist graduated in the top 10 percent of her class and is a National Honor Society member.