April 19, 2013

SPRINGFIELD -- The Missouri State volleyball team will play the remainder of its spring exhibition season at Hammons Student Center, hosting events twice over the next seven days.

The Bears will take on alumni and the MSU men's club team Saturday (April 20) beginning at 5 p.m., and host Arkansas on Thursday (April 25) at 7 p.m. in the spring finale.

Missouri State has played several matches this spring in tournaments at Kansas and UMKC, often splitting into two teams and experimenting with different lineups to maximize each player's time on the court.

The Bears return 16 of 17 players from a 2012 team that finished 16-15 overall and 10-8 in the Missouri Valley Conference, including all-MVC players Carly Thomas, Andrea Beaty and Kaitlin Jaeger. MSU also has Wright State transfer and sophomore-to-be Natalie Catani on campus this spring, with defensive specialist Tatum Marshall of Fayetteville, Ark., slated to join the club in the fall.