Volleyball Bears Drop Two Matches in South Carolina

Saturday, August 25

Charleston, S.C.

9:00 AM

Missouri State University

0-2

Alabama

2-0

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Alabama	25	22	25	25	3
Missouri State	21	25	11	16	1

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Western Kentucky	18	25	25	25	3
Missouri State	25	20	20	18	1

Volleyball Bears Drop Two Matches in South Carolina

August 25, 2018 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 PDF Stats (Alabama)PDF Stats (WKU)

By: MSU Athletics Communications

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Missouri State suffered a pair of 3-1 setbacks Saturday on the second day of the Hampton Inn Charleston/West Ashley CofC Classic, falling to Alabama and Western Kentucky at TD Arena on the College of Charleston campus.

Senior libero Emily Butters broke Cara Hackmann's school record for career digs in the third set of the Alabama match, ending the day with 1,939 place her 12th all-time in the Missouri Valley Conference. She went on to be selected to the all-tournament team after the final match.

Missouri State (0-3) hosts the annual Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational at Hammons Student Center next week, taking on Oral Roberts at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 31, Grambling at 12:30 p.m. Saturday and Ball State at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Alabama Recap (Alabama won 25-21, 22-25, 25-11, 25-16)
After building a 12-8 lead in the first, the Bears succumbed to four Alabama blocks, including two in a 4-0 Tide run that put MSU in a 17-13 hole. MacKenzie Irwin's kill cut the gap to 22-20, but the Bears got no closer.

Missouri State hit .355 in the second set, with six players recording multiple kills. The Bears pulled away from an 18-all tie in a run that included three late kills from freshman Chloe Rear, who threatened a triple-double with seven kills, 18 assists and 12 digs.

The Crimson Tide defense tallied seven blocks and limited the Bears to a negative hitting percentage over the final two sets. Butters' record-breaking dig was a bright spot in the third period, and Alabama pulled away from a 14-14 tie in the fourth with an 11-2 closing run.

Butters finished with 21 digs, and Daniele Messa's 15 assists moved her past Jamalee Roberts for the No. 8 spot on MSU's career list. Freshman Makina Wratten came off the bench to record a team-high three blocks in her first action as a Bear, and Alyssa Doucette hit a pair of kills in her debut.

Western Kentucky Recap (WKU won 18-25, 25-20, 25-20, 25-18)
Freshman Amelia Flynn had 15 kills and 14 digs, but the MSU offense sputtered after a first-set win in a 3-1 loss to the Hilltoppers, who received votes in the preseason AVCA Coaches Poll.

Flynn and her classmates accounted for MSU's first five kills in the match on the way to an 11-3 lead in the first set, and the Bears led by three-plus points for the duration of the frame, hitting .257 as a team with four blocks.

Missouri State had 22 kills negated by 21 attack errors over the next two sets, both 25-20 losses, and the Bears fell behind 13-6 in the fourth after a 6-0 WKU run. MSU closed to 16-14 on a block by Wratten and Cambree Villarreal, but the Toppers responded with a 4-0 run to put the set out of reach.

Rear filled the stat sheet again with eight kills, 20 assists and seven digs, and Butters added 16 digs for her 99th career match in double figures. The Bears recorded 11 blocks to help hold WKU to a .134 attack efficiency. Freshmen accounted for 28 or MSU's 44 kills.