Aug. 23, 2011
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Opponents: Oral Roberts, Friday, August 26, 5 p.m.
SMU, Saturday, August 27, 10 a.m.
#16 Oklahoma, Saturday, August 27, 7 p.m.
Site: McCasland Field House
Location: Norman, Okla.
Radio: None
Live Audio: None
Live Stats: -- --
Live Video: None
The Missouri State volleyball team begins the 2011 season this weekend with a trip to the Oklahoma Nike Invitational in Norman, Okla. The Bears open Friday at 5 p.m. with Oral Roberts and face a tough Saturday slate that includes SMU at 10 a.m. and Oklahoma at 7 p.m. SMU finished the 2010 season rated 45th in the RPI, three spots behind the Bears, while OU enters the 2011 campaign ranked 16th in the AVCA Coaches Poll.
The Opponents
Oral Roberts returns four starters and eight letterwinners from a club that went 12-14 overall in 2010 and placed sixth in the Summit League with a 10-8 mark.
SMU just missed the NCAA Tournament in 2010 with an RPI of 45, a 25-6 overall record and a second place finish in Conference USA at 17-3. The Mustangs return four starters and the libero from that team.
Oklahoma is ranked 16th in the initial AVCA poll and went 23-11 overall and 13-7 in the Big 12 last season while advancing to the NCAA round of 16. The Sooners return all but one starter from 2010.
The Series
Missouri State leads Oral Roberts 24-9 in the all-time series. The teams have split the last two meetings, with MSU winning 3-0 in Springfield in 2007 and ORU sweeping in Tulsa in 2006.
The Bears lost their only meeting with SMU, a 3-1 setback in 2002 at South Florida's tournament.
MSU leads Oklahoma 22-6 but has lost the last two meetings. Last year, the Sooners won 3-1 in Springfield despite the teams each scoring 101 points in the match.
Coach Melissa Stokes
Missouri State head coach Melissa Stokes (San Diego State, 1991) is 335-155 (.684) in her 16th season at Missouri State. A native of El Cajon, Calif., Stokes has guided Missouri State to an overall record of 258-97 (.727) and 153-45 (.773) 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. MSU defeated Arkansas before falling to No. 13 Oklahoma in the second round, and has since added postseason bids in 2007, 2008 and 2010.
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 two NCAA appearances. She coached the 300th victory of her Missouri State career against Delaware, Sept. 11, 2009. Stokes ranked 34th among active Division I coaches in win percentage entering 2011.
2010 in Review
Missouri State went 9-2 against a strong non-conference schedule and finished fourth in arguably the strongest Missouri Valley Conference field ever on the way to a 21-10 overall record and sixth NCAA Tournament appearance in eight seasons.
Kelley Michnowicz and Calli Norman earned first-team all-MVC honors, Christine McCartney was the league's Freshman of the Year and was joined by Carly Thomas on the all-Freshman team.
Quick Hits
• Missouri State has won eight of its last 11 season openers and is 10-5 in such matches under Coach Stokes. MSU is 24-15 in season openers over the program's 39-year history.
• Head coach Melissa Stokes is climbing up the all-time MVC coaching lists in a number of categories. Listed below is the 15th-year coach's ranking in those categories. Lists are compiled based on statistics at Valley schools only:
• Third in total victories with 335
• Second in MVC victories (193)
• Fifth in win percentage overall (.684) and third among active MVC coaches
• Seventh in win percentage in MVC matches only (.715)
• Stokes picked up her 300th career victory with MSU's 3-1 win over Delaware on Sept. 11, 2009, and is three league wins away from tying the MVC record for conference victories at 196 with UNI's Iradge Ahrabi-Fard.
• Missouri State is 17-10 in five-set matches since the beginning of the 2007 season.
• Missouri State has finished in the top four of the MVC standings 12 years in a row. Only UNI can match that streak among league schools.
• MSU is 98-13 the last five seasons when winning set two.
• Missouri State has won at least 20 matches in 12 consecutive seasons, a streak that is currently longer than all but six others nationally.
Six is the Magic Number
The number six has been a milestone number the last 12 years in terms of winning streaks, as the Bears have strung together at least six consecutive wins a total of 16 times since the beginning of the 1999 season.
Homecoming
Missouri State has been dominant at home since 2000, compiling a home record of 136-25 for an .845 winning percentage at Hammons Student Center.
The Bears went 12-4 in 2010 and have completed 11 consecutive seasons with four or fewer home losses.
Preseason Poll
Following a 2010 season when the Missouri State volleyball team finished 21-10 and 12-6 in the Missouri Valley Conference, the Bears have been picked to finish fourth in the 2011 MVC race by the league's coaches. UNI is the unanimous choice to repeat as league champions.
Preseason All-Conference
Seniors Kelley Michnowicz and Calli Norman occupy two of the seven spots on this year's preseason all-MVC team. Michnowicz has been an all-conference choice the last two seasons, while Norman is bidding to become the third player in MVC history to make the first team four times.
