Bears Set for NCAA Opener Against Ohio State

Missouri State (26-8, 16-2 MVC) at NCAA First and Second Rounds
Schedule	Dec. 2, 5 p.m. vs. Ohio State \| Dec. 3, 7 p.m. vs. Kansas State/Lipscomb (if necessary)
Location	Manhattan, Kan.
Site	Bramlage Coliseum
ESPN3	Ohio State \| Second Round (if necessary)
Live Stats	NCAA.com
Missouri State	Game Notes \| Volleyball Home Page
Ohio State	Volleyball Home Page
Kansas State	Volleyball Home Page
Lipscomb	Volleyball Home Page

The Missouri State volleyball team (26-8, 16-2 Missouri Valley Conference) earned an at-large bid into its ninth NCAA Tournament in the last 14 seasons and will begin play against Ohio State (20-12, 10-10 Big Ten) at 5 p.m. Friday in Manhattan, Kan.
The other two teams in Manhattan are host and No. 14 national seed Kansas State (20-9, 9-7 Big 12) and Lipscomb (22-7, 12-2 Atlantic Sun). Kansas State and Lipscomb play at 7:30 p.m. Friday, and the first-round winners are scheduled to play at 7 p.m. Saturday for the right to advance to the third and fourth rounds at a site to be determined after the first weekend of play.
The Bears are winners of 17 of their last 18 matches, and boast the MVC Player of the Year in Lily Johnson and MVC Freshman of the Year in Daniele Messa.

NCAA Tournament History
Missouri State is making its 12th NCAA appearance in the 35-year history of the event, and is 1-11 all-time. The Bears also made the field in 1982, 1990, 1993, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2015. Below is a list of previous tournament results:
• 1982 - Texas def. Missouri State; 15-10, 8-15, 15-7, 15-13 (Austin, Texas)
• 1990 - Hawaii def. Missouri State; 15-4, 15-11, 15-4 (Honolulu, Hawaii)
• 1993 - Illinois def. Missouri State; 15-7, 15-13, 17-15 (Springfield, Mo.)
• 2003 - Arkansas def. Missouri State; 30-26, 30-28, 16-30, 30-26 (Manhattan, Kan.)
• 2005 - Missouri def. Missouri State; 30-27, 30-18, 30-26 (Columbia, Mo.)
• 2006 - Missouri State def. Arkansas; 28-30, 30-21, 30-27, 30-28 (Fayetteville, Ark.)
• 2006 - Oklahoma def. Missouri State; 30-19, 30-22, 30-19 (Fayetteville, Ark.)
• 2007 - Oregon def. Missouri State; 31-29, 30-20, 31-29 (Manhattan, Kan.)
• 2008 - UAB def. Missouri State; 25-17, 25-21, 25-17 (Lincoln, Neb.)
• 2010 - Auburn def. Missouri State; 25-15, 26-24, 27-25 (Lincoln, Neb.)
• 2011 - Pepperdine def. Missouri State; 25-22, 25-21, 25-16 (Malibu, Calif.)
• 2015 - Missouri def. Missouri State; 21-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-17 (Lawrence, Kan.)

The Opponents
Ohio State is 20-12 on the season and tied for seventh in the Big Ten with a 10-10 conference record and RPI of 34. Led by first-team All-American Taylor Sandbothe, the Buckeyes hit .254 as a team and allow .200 to the opposition while averaging 13.98 kills, 1.34 aces, 1.94 blocks and 14.04 digs per set.
   Kansas State is the No. 14 national seed, owning a 20-9 overall record and No. 18 ranking in the RPI after tying for fourth place in the Big 12. The Wildcats feature four all-Big 12 selections, and hit .242 with a .217 opponent attack efficiency and averages of 13.87 kills, 1.20 aces, 15.12 digs and 2.37 blocks per set.
   Lipscomb is 22-7 and earned the automatic bid from the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Bisons are ranked 52nd in the RPI, and are led by ASUN Player of the Year Carlyle Nusbaum at 4.56 kills per set. Lipscomb hits .263 as a team and limits opponents to .189 while averaging 14.88 kills, 1.75 aces, 13.52 digs and 1.54 blocks per set.

Series Histories
Missouri State is 4-2 all-time against Ohio State, including a five-set home win earlier this season. Lynsey Wright had a season-high 20 kills in that match, and the Buckeyes were ranked 12th nationally at the time.
   The Bears own a 15-9 record against Kansas State, the last meeting being a 3-2 KSU win in Manhattan in 2014. MSU also visited Manhattan for the 2003 and 2007 NCAA Tournaments.
   Missouri State and Lipscomb have not played in volleyball.

Bears Set for NCAA Opener Against Ohio State

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Players Mentioned

Lily Johnson

Daniele Messa

Lynsey Wright

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