SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The Missouri State volleyball team had five players with at least eight kills Friday and hit .328 as an offense to beat Indiana State 3-1 in Missouri Valley Conference action at Hammons Student Center. The Bears (10-3, 2-1) let a close third set slip away but otherwise handled the visiting Sycamores (8-7, 0-2), winning by scores of 25-17, 25-18, 25-27 and 25-16.

    Freshman Christine McCartney led all players with 17 kills and the trio of Shayla Patrick, Calli Norman and Kelley Michnowicz combined for 28 kills and only one error on 55 swings to hit .491. Cara Hackmann paced the Bears with 19 digs to go with nine kills.

    The Bears fell behind 6-2 in the first set but fought back to take the lead at 9-8 and used a 3-0 run to pull ahead 16-12. Hackmann pounded an errant ISU pass for a kill and a 20-15 advantage that was enough for the Bears to cruise to victory.

    The teams traded big runs early in the second set to a 10-6 MSU lead, and the Bears went up by as many as five points at 14-9 when the Sycamores went 3-0 to get within a pair. Patrick’s solo block capped a 5-1 MSU run that forced an ISU timeout at 20-14 as the Bears marched to a seven point win.

    The third set featured 20 ties with the largest lead by either team going in Missouri State’s favor at 8-5. The Bears trailed 21-19 before gaining and losing two set points as the Sycamores closed on a 3-0 run. ISU had 20 kills in the set and the Bears had 18 as both teams hit above .300.

    Missouri State then seized control back in the fourth, jumping to a 16-7 lead and playing error-free offensively through 16 attacks until ISU got a block to make the score 16-10 as part of a 5-0 run. After the Sycamores pulled within four, the Bears went on a 3-0 spurt and kept the pressure on to close out the match.   

    The Bears host Illinois State (11-4, 1-1) at 7 p.m. Saturday. The Redbirds took Wichita State to five sets Friday before losing.