Sept. 22, 2012

Box Score

SPRINGFIELD-- The Missouri State volleyball team hit .339 as a team in a consistent offensive effort to defeat visiting Evansville 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 26-24) Saturday in Missouri Valley Conference action at Hammons Student Center.

Missouri State (8-7, 3-1 MVC) used a 6-0 run early in the first set to take the lead for good, going up by as many as eight points at 12-4 on Kaitlin Jaeger's solo block. The Aces (5-11, 1-3) closed to four points on two occasions and spoiled three set points before the Bears took the win.

Christine McCartney had six kills and a solo block in the first half of the second period, but her sixth kill only made the score 13-13 as the Bears had trouble putting distance between themselves and UE. MSU used a 4-0 run to lead 19-14 and then closed on a 6-0 run from 19-16, getting a pair of assisted blocks from Andrea Beaty and Amber Doolittle around a Beaty kill for the final three points. The Bears tallied 19 kills against two errors and hit .472 in the second frame.

Evansville turned a 4-0 run into a 7-3 lead to open the third and looked ready to extend the match at 16-12 before the Bears responded with a 6-0 run to lead 18-16. The Aces rallied to lead 23-21 and then held a set point at 24-23 when McCartney, Olivia Brand and Jaeger smacked three kills for the Missouri State victory.

McCartney led all players with 13 kills and Doolittle had 11 on .667 hitting to go with five blocks. Jaeger hit .368 with nine kills and Brand had eight without an error. Ashley Mason paced MSU with 12 digs, and Carly Thomas had 34 assists and five kills.

Missouri State out-blocked UE 8-5, held a 52-48 lead in digs and held UE to a .213 attack efficiency.

The Bears return to action Sept. 28 with a 7 p.m. match at UNI.