The Missouri State volleyball team grabbed the first set from 16th-ranked Wichita State but struggled offensively the rest of the match in a 25-23, 14-25, 18-25, 10-25 loss Friday in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both teams at Koch Arena in Wichita, Kan.

    The Bears (7-5, 0-1 MVC) snagged the first set from the Shockers with a late charge, going on a crucial 5-0 run to turn a 16-12 deficit into a 17-16 lead. The run began with a WSU service error and Sara Staubach and Kelley Michnowicz notched two kills apiece to give the Bears the lead. From there, Wichita State regained the lead with a 3-0 run, but the Bears responded with four straight points to go up 21-19, a lead they would not give up in the 25-23 win.

    After the first set, the Bears combined to hit -.020 over the final three sets, while the Shockers hit their offensive stride after reeling early, making only seven more errors and hitting over .400 in the second and fourth sets.

    Staubach led the Bears with 11 kills and hit .235, and sophomore Bethany Fuller had five kills without an error to hit .417 and was in on three of MSU’s four blocks. Terri Del Conte had 12 digs, Ashley Kell added 11 and freshman Julia Cawthra matched her career high with eight.

    The Shockers, now 12-0 on the season, hit .294 as a team and had 53 kills to MSU’s 35.

    The Bears step out of conference for a noon Sunday contest at South Dakota State.