Missouri State volleyball player Shanda Harper was named Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year in a vote by the league’s coaches, announced at the State Farm MVC Tournament banquet Thursday evening in Normal, Ill.

Harper earns the award after winning MVC Freshman of the Week six out of a possible 13 weeks during the regular season. The Willard, Mo., native is second in the MVC with a .300 hitting percentage, fourth with 1.33 blocks per game, and her 288 kills this season are the most for an MSU freshman since 2000. Her block and kill averages are tops among all league freshmen.

Harper is third player in Missouri State history to earn the award, joining Vanessa Wouters (1994) and Jessica Hovorka (1995) on the exclusive list.

The Bears open play at the State Farm MVC Tournament as the third seed Friday, Nov. 24, against No. 6 Evansville at 12:30 p.m. A victory earns a semifinal match against second-seeded Wichita State at 7:30 that night. The other side of the bracket includes No. 1 Northern Iowa, No. 4 Creighton and No. 5 Illinois State. The final from Redbird Arena in Normal, Ill., is set for 5 p.m. on Nov. 25.