Aug. 27, 2011
Box Score
NORMAN, Okla. -
The Missouri State volleyball team opened day two of the Oklahoma Nike Invitational Saturday morning with a 25-14, 25-22, 25-18 sweep of SMU at McCasland Field House in Norman, Okla.
SMU won the first point of set one but the Bears never trailed after that in a commanding win. Calli Norman had four kills on four attempts and Christine McCartney had four in six swings to help the Bears hit .364 in the first stanza.
The Bears opened the second period with two blocks on the way to a 4-0 lead and kept the Mustangs at arm's length for the duration. SMU cut Missouri State's lead to two points on three occasions, the last at 24-22 after fighting off a pair of set points, but an attack error handed MSU the clinching point. McCartney added four more kills and Karen Rivatto had five while the Bears blocked four SMU attacks for the second consecutive set.
Missouri State also never trailed in the third set thanks to a 6-1 start. Despite hitting only .036 in the period, the Bears were able to take advantage of 10 SMU attack errors as the Mustangs hit -.118 to fall to .048 in the match compared to MSU's .237 figure.
McCartney led the team with 10 kills and hit .500 and Norman played error-free with six kills on nine attempts. Ashley Mason, Shelby Strang and Rivatto each had 10 digs. Kelley Michnowicz played a part in seven of the Bears' 11 blocks.
Missouri State concludes the tournament this evening at 7 p.m. against No. 16 Oklahoma.
