Bears Set for NCAA Tournament Opener in Omaha

#25 Missouri State (28-5, 18-0 MVC) at NCAA First and Second Rounds
Schedule	Dec. 1, 4 p.m. vs. #12 Michigan State \| Dec. 2, 6 p.m. vs. Creighton/Coastal Carolina (if necessary)
Location	Omaha, Neb.
Site	D.J. Sokol Arena (2,500)
Live Video	Michigan State \| Second Round (if necessary)
Ticket Info	GoCreighton.com
Live Stats	NCAA.com
Missouri State	Game Notes \| Volleyball Home Page
Michigan State	Volleyball Home Page
Creighton	Volleyball Home Page
Coastal Carolina	Volleyball Home Page

The Missouri State volleyball team (28-5, 18-0 Missouri Valley Conference) earned the MVC's automatic bid to its 10th NCAA Tournament in the last 15 seasons and will begin play against Michigan State (21-8, 14-6 Big Ten) at 4 p.m. Friday in Omaha, Neb.
The other two teams in Omaha are host and No. 9 national seed Creighton (25-6, 16-2 Big EAST) and Coastal Carolina (20-7, 15-1 Sun Belt), comprising one of the bracket's most difficult regionals with Michigan State (#12), Creighton (#15) and Missouri State (#25) all appearing in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll.
   Creighton and Coastal Carolina play at 7 p.m. Friday, and the first-round winners are scheduled to play at 6 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 have won 21 consecutive matches, the second-longest active streak in the nation, and boast the MVC Player of the Year in Lily Johnson and MVC Libero of the Year in Emily Butters, as well as first-team all-MVC selections Lynsey Wright and Aubrey Cheffey, and second-teamer Daniele Messa.

NCAA Tournament History
Missouri State is making its 13th NCAA appearance in the 36-year history of the event, and is 1-12 all-time. The Bears also made the field in 1982, 1990, 1993, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2015 and 2016. Below is a list of previous tournament results:

The Opponents
Michigan State is 21-8 overall and finished fourth in the Big Ten with a 14-6 conference record. The Spartans enter the postseason with a No. 12 ranking in the AVCA Coaches Poll and 23rd in the RPI, and hit .272 as a team compared to .190 for the opposition with averages of 14.33 kills, 1.71 aces, 14.80 digs and 2.22 blocks per set. MSU boasts four players that average at least 2.55 kills per set and hit .240 or higher.
   Creighton is the No. 9 national seed and owns a 25-6 overall record as the Big EAST regular season and tournament champion. The Bluejays are ranked 15th in the latest poll and 10th in the RPI, and have four first-team all-Big EAST players in Lydia Dimke, Marysa Wilkinson, Jaali Winters and Brittany Witt. As a team, Creighton hits .281 and holds opponents to a .183 efficiency with averages of 14.37 kills, 1.31 aces, 16.32 digs and 2.09 blocks per set.
   Coastal Carolina is rated 74th in the latest RPI and won the Sun Belt regular season and tournament titles with a 20-7 overall record and 15-1 league mark. Leah Hardeman is the Sun Belt Player of the Year and averages 4.62 kills per set on .301 hitting, and the Chanticleers hit .247 as a team against .179 for opponents with averages of 13.33 kills, 1.22 aces, 15.11 digs and 2.32 blocks per set.

Series Histories
Missouri State is 5-1 all-time against Michigan State, losing in East Lansing in 2007 in the only meeting since 1987. The Bears do have three victories over the Big Ten the last two seasons, however, beating Ohio State twice and Illinois once.
   The Bears own a 30-9 series lead versus Creighton, and have not played CU since the Bluejays left the MVC following the 2012 season.
   Missouri State has played Coastal Carolina once, a 3-0 MSU win in Columbia, S.C., in 1998.

Bears Set for NCAA Tournament Opener in Omaha

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Emily Butters

Aubrey Cheffey

Lily Johnson

Daniele Messa

Lynsey Wright

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