The Missouri State volleyball team (21-5, 13-0 Missouri Valley Conference) continues its four-match home stand Saturday at 7 p.m. when it hosts Southern Illinois (5-19, 4-9) at Hammons Student Center. The Bears enter the month of November atop the MVC standings, with a two-game lead over UNI in second and three-match cushion on third-place Drake. Those two schools visit Springfield Nov. 11 and 12 for the final home weekend of the season.
The Opponent
Southern Illinois is 5-19 overall and 4-9 in MVC play with league wins against Bradley, Valparaiso, Evansville and Indiana State. Six Salukis average between 1.69 and 2.47 kills per set, and SIU hits .186 as a team compared to .241 for the opposition with averages of 11.96 kills, 1.01 aces, 16.10 digs and 1.95 blocks per set.
Series History
Missouri State leads SIU 54-19 in the all-time series, winning 23 of the last 28 meetings.
First Meeting This Season
Missouri State picked up a 3-0 win at Southern Illinois on Oct. 7. The Bears hit .306 as a team, led by
Lily Johnson's 14 kills and 15 digs and
Lynsey Wright's 12 kills on .429 hitting, while
Daniele Messa added a double-double with 32 assists and 11 digs.
Last Week
Missouri State earned road sweeps at Evansville and Indiana State before topping Valparaiso by a 3-1 final at home on Monday. Versus Evansville,
Lily Johnson and
Lynsey Wright combined for 36 kills on .408 hitting. Against the Sycamores, Wright hit .636 with 15 kills and
Aubrey Cheffey added 14 kills without an error as the Bears hit .390 as a team. Monday, Cheffey was error-free again with a career-high 17 kills, while Johnson added 21 kills and 22 digs.
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