After starting the season 4-0 and winning the T.J. Sales/Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational in the season’s opening weekend, the Missouri State volleyball team ventures to East Lansing, Mich., to play in the Spartan Invitational hosted by Michigan State. The Bears open weekend play with the host school, and will also face Florida State and Kansas in the tournament.
The Bears appear in the AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll this week by receiving two votes, which places the team in a tie for 41st nationally in the rankings.
Live stats will be available at www.missouristatebears.com. Just click "Live Stats" on the left side of the home page and select the appropriate match.
COACH MELISSA STOKES Missouri State head coach Melissa Stokes (San Diego State, 1991) is 249-114 (.686) in her 12th season at Missouri State. A native of El Cajon, Calif., Stokes has guided Missouri State to an overall record of 178-57 (.757) and 101-23 (.815) in the Missouri Valley Conference since 2000. In 2003, the Bears were the MVC regular-season champions and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1993. MSU made a return trip to the NCAAs in 2005 after winning the MVC Tournament, and advanced to the second round for the first time in program history in 2006, defeating Arkansas before falling to No. 13 Oklahoma in the second round.
Stokes came to Missouri State from the University of Idaho, where she helped the Vandals to four straight NCAA Tournament berths. As a setter at San Diego State, Stokes played four seasons and helped the Aztecs to three NCAA appearances. She recorded her 100th career victory in the Bears’ five-game win over Manhattan College, Sept. 1, 2001 and coached the 200th victory of her Missouri State career against Illinois State, Sept. 17, 2005. Stokes ranked 37th among active Division I coaches in win percentage entering 2007.
THE OPPONENTS Michigan State went 0-3 in the season’s opening weekend, suffering setbacks against Southern Cal, St. John’s and Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles. The Spartans were led by exceptional play from Ashley Schatzle, who averaged five kills and 4.36 digs per game.
Florida State made it through the first weekend undefeated at 2-0, topping UNC-Asheville and TCU at home. Mira Djuric averaged 5.43 kills per game in the two contests, and the Seminoles attacked at a .350 clip while limiting the two opponents to a .081 hitting efficiency.
Kansas opened the season 2-1 with victories over Cal State Bakersfield and Idaho State before Oregon handed the Jayhawks a 3-0 loss. Jenna Kaiser led KU in both kills (3.10/game) and attack percentage (.286) for the weekend.
THE SERIES Missouri State has a commanding series lead against each member of the Spartan Invitational field, but has not played any of the schools since 1994.
MSU is 5-0 all-time against Michigan State, with the last meeting coming in 1987. The Bears last played Florida State in 1993, scoring a 3-1 victory to improve the all-time record against the Seminoles to 6-2.
Missouri State and Kansas have met 34 times but not since 1994. MSU leads that series 28-5-1.
LAST WEEK Missouri State opened the 2007 season with a 4-0 showing in the T.J. Sales/Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational. The Bears cruised to opening day victories against UMKC and Tulsa, beating both by 3-0 scores.
On Saturday, MSU earned another 3-0 win over Delaware State, hitting .434 against the Hornets for the fourth-best offensive performance in school history.
The championship match provided the dramatics for the tournament, as the Bears faced off with 3-0 Sacramento State. The Hornets built a 2-0 lead before intermission, but Missouri State fought back to hit .333 in the final three games and earn the comeback victory. Sara Thomas had 19 kills and earned tournament MVP honors, while Katelyn Panzau added a career-high 64 assists and Shayla Patrick chipped in 10 kills and seven blocks to each earn all-tournament honors.
QUICK HITS
Missouri State has not lost back-to-back matches since Sept. 2-3 of the 2005 season, meaning the Bears have won their last 15 matches immediately following a loss.
Head coach Melissa Stokes is climbing up the all-time MVC coaching lists in a number of categories. Listed below is the 12th-year coach’s ranking in a number of categories. Lists are compiled based on statistics at Valley schools only.
Sixth in total victories with 249
Fourth in win percentage overall (.686) and second among active MVC coaches
Sixth in win percentage in MVC matches only (.717)
Third in MVC victories (142)
Stokes’s next victory will be the 250th of her career
Katelyn Panzau is now 10th in school history with 1,687 assists. She is 341 shy of breaking the school record for a two-year player.
Missouri State is 4-0 for the first time since 2000
MSU is 27-1 the last two seasons when winning game two
Jamie Adams has reached 10 kills in 10 of her last 11 matches
1,000th WIN Missouri State became the second volleyball program in NCAA history to reach 1,000 victories with a sweep on Indiana State on Nov. 17. The Bears trail only UCLA (1,038) on the all-time wins list.
HOMECOMING Missouri State has been dominant at home since 2000, compiling a home record of 92-13 for an .876 winning percentage at Hammons Student Center. The Bears have completed seven consecutive years with three or fewer losses in a home season and are 4-0 in 2007.
NATIONAL PRAISE Missouri State is the reigning College Volleyball Update Overall Defensive Team of the Year in 2006. The Bears ranked second nationally last season by holding opponents to a .119 attack efficiency and 27th with 3.11 blocks per game.
TOUGH COMPETITION The Bears have seven matches lined up this season against teams that began the year receiving votes in the AVCA coaches poll. MSU plays Northern Iowa and Wichita State two times each, and also has matches against Middle Tennessee, Michigan State and Sacramento State. The Bears are 1-0 against that competition this season.
PANZAU CHASING A RECORD Senior setter Katelyn Panzau is in just her second season on the floor for the Bears, but is in line to finish as one of the top setters in school history. She recorded 1,502 assists in 2006, and a repeat of that will put her in third place on MSU’s all-time list. She now occupies 10th place on the career list with 1,687.
Just a pair of two-year players appear in the career top 10, with Jessica Brester (2,027) and Lani Kim (1,838) occupying the eighth and ninth spots, respectively.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Sara Thomas and Shayla Patrick brought home MVC awards in the first week of the season. Thomas was the league’s player of the week after averaging 3.79 kills, 4.07 digs, 1.07 blocks and hitting .357 on the way to becoming the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational MVP.
Patrick was the freshman of the week after leading MSU in hitting efficiency (.377) and blocking (1.29/game). She was named to the all-tournament team in her first collegiate action.
MVC TOURNAMENT The State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament returns to Springfield for the first time since 2003 on Thanksgiving weekend. The top six teams in the regular season standings will come to Hammons Student Center November 23 and 24 to vie for the league’s automatic NCAA Tournament berth.
PRESEASON POLL Coming off back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2005 and 2006, the Bears are picked to finish fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference in 2007 by the league’s coaches. UNI is the preseason choice to repeat as league champions, while Wichita State was picked second and Creighton a close third.
TAILGATE ON SEPT. 14 A volleyball tailgate will be held Sept. 14 from 5:45-6:45 p.m. in the south parking lot of Hammons Student Center, prior the MSU’s match with UNI. The event is open to the public, and those in attendance can purchase a meal of a hot dog or steak sandwich, chips, a drink and Andy’s frozen custard for five dollars, and may add an MSU volleyball t-shirt for $10 dollars more.
VOLLEYBALL LUNCHEONS Four dates remain for Missouri State volleyball luncheons this fall. Luncheons will be on alternate Wednesdays at Ebbets Field, 1027 East Walnut, and feature Bears’ head coach Melissa Stokes. Luncheons begin at noon and attendees may order from the restaurant menu. Luncheon dates are Aug. 29, Sept. 12, Sept. 26, Oct. 10, Oct. 24, Nov. 7 and Nov. 21.
