Printable Schedule
 
SPRINGFIELD -- The 2017 Missouri State volleyball schedule has been completed and includes a total of 31 matches, 13 of those at Hammons Student Center in Springfield. The Bears will play seven matches against six teams that made the 2016 NCAA Tournament, including five such contests during the non-conference schedule. Additionally, eight of MSU's non-conference opponents finished with a top-100 RPI last year, and 10 of the 13 boasted a winning record.

The season begins August 25 at Appalachian State before the Bears continue play in North Carolina with matches against Kansas and North Carolina State at N.C. State's Tournament. The Jayhawks went 27-3 last season and finished with a top-10 RPI, while the Wolfpack also posted 20 wins.

Up next is a trip to the Buckeye State to face Ohio State, Lipscomb and Oakland on Sept. 1-2 in Columbus. The Bears and OSU split two matches last year, including a meeting in the NCAA Tournament first round, while Lipscomb joined the Buckeyes and MSU in the Manhattan Regional.

Missouri State's travels continue with a Sept. 8-9 trip to Malibu, California, to face Wyoming, Washington and Pepperdine. Washington went 29-5 last season and advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament, while the Bears and Pepperdine will meet in a rematch of a 2011 NCAA First Round contest won by the Waves in Malibu.

The annual Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational takes place Sept. 14-16 at Hammons Student Center, with Illinois, Washington State, Chattanooga and Tennessee State visiting Springfield. WSU was an NCAA Second Round club last season, while the Bears defeated Illinois on the road last year when the Illini were ranked 14th nationally.
 
Missouri Valley Conference play begins Sept. 22 at Illinois State, and the Bears will play a full 18-match home-and-home league schedule that ends Nov. 18 at Loyola. Missouri State's first meeting with new league member Valparaiso will be Oct. 30 in Springfield. The MVC Volleyball Championship takes place Nov. 23-25 in Normal, Ill.

The 2017 season will be the 22nd under head coach Melissa Stokes. Stokes has guided the Bears to a 464-222 mark since taking over in 1996, and the team has advanced to the NCAA Tournament in nine of the last 14 seasons while reaching the 20-win mark 17 times in the last 18 years.