Sept. 13, 2013
Final Stats
SPRINGFIELD -- The Missouri State volleyball team opened its home season Friday evening with a 25-23, 25-20, 25-20 sweep of a talented Middle Tennessee club in the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn/University Plaza Invitational at Hammons Student Center. Oklahoma defeated Alabama A&M 3-0 in the first match of the event.
The Bears improved to 7-2 on the season with the win, while the Blue Raiders fell to 5-3.
Neither team led by more than one point in the first set until a 3-0 Middle Tennessee run put the visitors up 11-8. The Blue Raiders extended their lead to 16-12 before a 3-0 MSU run, capped by a solo block from Kaitlin Jaeger, made the score 16-15. Christine McCartney stuffed an MT attack for 20-19 and Carly Thomas and Amber Doolittle paired up for another block and the 20-all tie. Jaeger added a kill for the 22-21 lead, Ashley Mason followed with an ace and Olivia Brand finished things off with a kill for the two-point win.
The second set was tied at each point to 16-16 before McCartney's kill provided the largest separation for either club at 18-16 in favor of the Bears. Brand hammered a kill for 20-19, Mason served another ace for 21-19, and Brand put down another kill between two Middle Tennessee attack errors for set point at 24-20. Thomas aced the Blue Raiders for the win as the Bears overcame 18 kills on .389 hitting for the opponent for the two-set lead.
Missouri State gained control earlier in the third set with a McCartney kill providing a 6-4 lead and Jaeger and Kayla Walton combining for a block for 8-5. Walton and Doolittle then hit back-to-back kills for 11-7 and Jaeger and Thomas blocked the Blue Raiders for a 15-10 advantage. After Middle Tennessee pulled to 20-18, McCartney stopped the momentum with a kill and Brand added two more for a 24-19 lead.
McCartney and Brand led the MSU offense with nine kills apiece, following by Walton and Jaeger with seven and Thomas and Doolittle at six each in a balanced effort. Missouri State hit .263 as a team compared to .227 for the Blue Raiders.
The Bears served five aces but did not surrender one themselves, and held a 43-42 edge in digs. Mason scooped 11 digs to move from eighth to sixth in Missouri State history.
The Bears play two matches Saturday, facing Alabama A&M (0-8) at 12:30 p.m. and concluding the tournament with Oklahoma (7-1) at 7:30 p.m. Additional matches will take place at 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.
