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Illini Classic Schedule
Missouri State vs. Xavier, 4:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26
Missouri State vs. Arkansas, 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27
Missouri State at #14 Illinois, 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27
Location: Champaign, Ill.
Site: Huff Hall
Live Stats: FightingIllini.com
Live Video: FightingIllini.com
The Missouri State volleyball team begins the 2016 season this week with three matches at the Illini Classic in Champaign, Ill. The Bears, who are coming off their eighth NCAA Tournament appearance since 2003 and sixteenth 20-win season in the last 17 years, open the campaign at 4:30 p.m. Friday against Xavier.
   Missouri State takes on Arkansas at 12:30 p.m. Saturday and concludes tournament play with host and 14th-ranked Illinois at 7 p.m. that evening.
  The Bears, picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference in 2016, continue their rugged early schedule in Hawaii on Sept. 1-3 before opening the home slate with the annual Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational Sept. 8-10.
The Opponents
Xavier is picked to finish third in the BIG EAST this season and ended the 2015 season with an 18-12 record and No. 65 ranking in the final NCAA RPI. The Musketeers also placed three players on the preseason all-conference team, led by reigning BIG EAST Player of the Year Abbey Bessler.
   Arkansas is picked to finish fifth in the Southeastern Conference this season behind  the league's four NCAA Tournament participants from 2015. The Razorbacks went 17-13 last year and ranked 61st in the final NCAA RPI.  Â
   Illinois is ranked 14th in the initial AVCA Coaches Poll and returns the majority of its 2015 club that went 21-13 overall and advanced to the Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament.
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The Series
Missouri State and Xavier meet for the first time in volleyball on Friday.
   The Bears and Illinois are tied 3-3-1 in the all-time series, with the last meeting a 3-0 Illinois victory in the 1993 NCAA Tournament in Springfield.
   Arkansas holds a 9-3 advantage over the Bears, though MSU has won the last two match-ups, including a 3-1 win in Fayetteville in the 2006 NCAA Tournament.
