The Missouri State volleyball team (11-2, 2-0 MVC) faces a pair of road tests this week in the form of Indiana State (3-7, 0-2) and Illinois State (10-3, 2-0). The Bears are winners of six straight and are 2-0 in the league for the third year in a row. Illinois State is the league’s only other 2-0 team, and the pair joins Creighton (1-0) as the conference’s remaining three unbeaten teams through a single weekend of MVC play.
Missouri State moves up a spot in the AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll this week, earning 31 votes for a No. 32 national ranking. Illinois State received three votes to come in at No. 43.
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 256-116 (.688) in her 12th season at Missouri State. A native of El Cajon, Calif., Stokes has guided Missouri State to an overall record of 185-59 (.758) and 103-23 (.817) 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 250th victory of her Missouri State career against Florida State, Aug. 31, 2007. Stokes ranked 37th among active Division I coaches in win percentage entering 2007.
THE OPPONENTS The Redbirds are 10-3 this season and the only league team besides the Bears to make it throught the first weekend at 2-0 in the Valley. ISU took road contests at Southern Illinois and Evansville, coming back from an 0-2 deficit to beat UE on Saturday. ISU’s three losses this season have come against No. 6 Florida, 23rd-ranked Ohio State and Sacramento State. Illinois State is the fourth MVC team to appear in the receiving votes category of the top 25 this season, earning three votes in this week’s poll.
Indiana State is 3-7 overall and 0-2 in the league this season, and ranks last in the MVC with a .123 team hitting efficiency. The Sycamores are sixth in the league in blocking at 2.65 per game, and freshman Katie Dilling is fourth individually with a 1.35 average.
THE SERIES Missouri State leads the all-time series with Indiana State by a 41-1 margin, with the Bears’ lone loss occurring in five games in 1994. Since then, the Bears have reeled off 27 straight wins against the Sycamores.
The series with Illinois State is much closer, as the Redbirds hold a 37-35 lead in 72 all-time meetings. Missouri State has been in control of the series lately, however, winning 11 of the last 13 overall. The teams split last season, with each one winning in five games on the other’s floor.
LAST WEEK Missouri State opened the conference season at 2-0 for the third consecutive season with a dramatic 3-2 victory over Northern Iowa and a sweep of Bradley in Springfield.
On Friday, the Bears alternated games with UNI before fighting off a match point at 16-15 in game five and eventually winning 18-16. Jamie Adams had a career-high 20 kills and Addie Foley set a personal best with 16 in the victory, while freshman Cara Hackmann had 12 kills and 22 digs for the double-double.
On Saturday against Bradley, the Bears served a season-high 14 aces and limited the Braves to .095 hitting in the sweep. Sara Thomas led all players with 11 kills.
QUICK HITS
Illinois State is one of two teams in the Valley to own an all-time series lead against Missouri State. UNI is the other.
The last four matches between the Bears and Redbirds have gone beyond three games, including a pair of five-gamers in 2006.
Missouri State has not lost back-to-back matches since Sept. 2-3 of the 2005 season, meaning the Bears have won their last 17 matches immediately following a loss.
Missouri State ranks among the nations top 50 in the following categories through Sept. 16:
27th in blocks per game (2.98)
46th in hitting percentage (.249)
Katelyn Panzau ranks 75th in the NCAA with 11.64 assists per game and Shayla Patrick is 81st in blocking with a 1.26 per game average through Sept. 16.
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 those categories. Lists are compiled based on statistics at Valley schools only:
Sixth in total victories with 256
Fourth in win percentage overall (.688) and second among active MVC coaches
Sixth in win percentage in MVC matches only (.720)
Third in MVC victories (144)
Stokes earned her 250th career victory when the Bears defeated Florida State on Aug. 31.
The Bears are 4-1 this year in matches lasting longer than three games.
MSU is 33-1 the last two seasons when winning game two.
Katelyn Panzau is seventh in school history with 2,049 assists and now holds the record for assists by a two-year player.
Missouri State’s win over No. 25 Middle Tennessee on Sept. 9 was the first over a ranked team since 2003.
Jamie Adams has reached at least 10 kills in 17 of her last 20 matches.
Missouri State has hit over .200 in 10 of 13 matches this season and at least .171 in all but two.
Nikki Vandepopulier has reached the 10-dig mark 10 times in 11 matches this season and carries a streak of eight matches in a row into this weekend.
The Bears are currently on a six-match winning streak, their 12th different streak of six or more consecutive wins since the beginning of the 1999 season.
Sara Thomas has recorded at least one kill, dig, assist and block in every match this season.
By winning MVC Player of the Week honor Sept. 10, Thomas becomes the first MSU player to win the award multiple times in the same season since Linette White in 2003.
Thomas has recorded at least six kills in each match, hitting .500 or better once, .400 or better five times, .300 or better nine times, and .200 or better 11 times.
Missouri State has hosted two of the top 100 crowds in college volleyball this season according to numbers compiled by the University of Wisconsin. Valley schools have played host to 17 of the top 100.
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, 2006. Now with 1,014 all-time victories, the Bears trail only UCLA (1,046) on the all-time wins list.
HOMECOMING Missouri State has been dominant at home since 2000, compiling a home record of 94-13 for an .879 winning percentage at Hammons Student Center. The Bears have completed seven consecutive years with three or fewer losses in a home season and are 6-0 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, and nine versus teams making at least one appearance so far.
MSU plays Illinois State, Northern Iowa and Wichita State two times each, and Middle Tennessee, Michigan State and Sacramento State also appear on the schedule.
The Bears are 3-1 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 seventh place on the career list with 2,049.
Just a pair of two-year players appear in the career top 10 in addition to Panzau, with Jessica Brester (2,027) and Lani Kim (1,838) occupying the ninth and 10th 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.
Thomas earned the award a second time on Sept. 10 after averaging 4.23 kills, 2.92 digs, 1.54 blocks and 1.46 assists per game in MSU’s 4-0 trip through Tennessee. She hit over .400 in three matches and .368 for the weekend, including a career-high 20 kills and a .405 attack efficiency in MSU’s 3-1 win at 25th-ranked Middle Tennessee.
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.
VOLLEYBALL LUNCHEONS Five 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 remaining dates are Sept. 26, Oct. 10, Oct. 24, Nov. 7 and Nov. 21.
