VALPARAISO, Ind. -- Missouri State senior
Lily Johnson slammed 26 kills, the second-most in a three-set match in the NCAA this season, and the 25th-ranked Bears hit .279 against one of the nation's top defensive teams Friday evening for a 25-20, 26-24, 25-20 win at Valparaiso.
Missouri State extended its win streak to 18 consecutive matches, tying the longest under
Melissa Stokes and third-longest in school history, improving to 25-5 overall and 17-0 in Missouri Valley Conference play. The Crusaders fell to 16-15, 7-10 as they continue to fight for a spot in next week's MVC Tournament.
The Bears overcame a slow start in the first set on the strength of a senior class that accounted for 17.5 of MSU's 25 points. Missouri State trailed by four points as late as 17-13, starting the comeback with consecutive kills from
Lynsey Wright,
Lauren Boone and Johnson. A Wright block tied the score at 18, and Johnson hit two more kills to start a 5-0 run to a 23-19 lead on the way to 10 kills in the first period.
MSU overcame another four-point deficit in the second set, largely in part to 11 more kills from Johnson. The senior hit four in a row for a 15-all tie, and a Valpo error followed for MSU's first lead since 2-1 at 16-15. The Crusaders tied the score five more times but never retook the lead, as Johnson scored kills for set point on two occasions, and
Aubrey Cheffey's kill finished off the 26-24 win.
Missouri State left little doubt in the third set after ripping off a 10-0 run to lead 12-4. The Bears kept Valpo at a comfortable distance the rest of the match, though the Crusaders got as close as 24-20 before Wright's 13th kill of the match secured the win.
Johnson's 26 kills also represented her career high for a three-setter and moved her from 32nd to 28th on the NCAA career kills list. She added 10 digs for the double-double, and
Emily Butters finished with a match-high 23 digs, surpassing 1,800 for her career and moving to second on MSU's single season list with 663 in 2017.
The Bears limited Valpo to .155 hitting, thanks in large part to digging 73 attacks, finishing with a 73-56 lead over the national leaders in that category.
Daniele Messa and
Emelie Orlando each had 20 assists, and Messa added 14 digs.
MacKenzie Irwin played a role in five of MSU's six blocks.
MSU wraps up the regular season Saturday at 7 p.m. at Loyola (5-23, 4-13).
