Week 4 Storylines
1) Missouri State (3-8) wraps up non-conference play at Ball State's Active Ankle Challenge, where the Bears will play Wright State, Austin Peay and the host Cardinals.
2) The Bears are picked to finish third in the Missouri Valley Conference this year, with three players on the roster -
Aubrey Cheffey,
Amelia Flynn, and
Chloe Rear - who have earned postseason all-MVC honors in their careers.
3) For the first time since 1996, Missouri State has a new coach to begin the season. Manolo Concepción will serve as interim head coach for the 2019 season after Melissa Stokes resigned after 23 years in August.
4) Through three weeks of play, underclassmen own the team lead in kills (
Chloe Rear - 91), assists (Rear - 152), digs (
Leah Vokolek - 175), aces (Rear - 12) and blocks (
Azyah Green - 43).
The Opponents
Wright State is off to an 8-1 start after dropping its season opener, including a victory at Notre Dame. The Raiders have limited opponents to a .150 attack efficiency through nine matches, hitting .225 offensively with averages of 13.64 kills, 19.73 digs, 2.52 blocks and 1.30 aces per set.
   Austin Peay is 1-9 against a schedule that included six Power Five teams. The Governors are picked to finish second in the Ohio Valley Conference after winning back-to-back regular season championships, and average 11.72 kills, 14.86 digs, 1.50 blocks and 0.86 aces per set while hitting .159 and allowing a .291 efficiency.
   Ball State is 4-5 overall and 1-1 at home. The Cardinals are picked to win the Mid-American Conference West Division this season, and hit .210 as a team compared to .237 for opponents with averages of 12.72 kills, 14.42 digs, 1.64 blocks and 0.94 aces per set. Former MSU assistant Fritz Rosenberg (2011-13) is in his sixth season on staff at his alma mater.
Series Histories
MSU is 0-1 against Wright State, losing in five sets on the road in 1990.
   Missouri State earned a home sweep of Austin Peay in 2012 in the only previous meeting.
   The Bears are 3-1 against Ball State, winning recent meetings by a 3-2 final in 2014 in Madison, Wis., and 3-1 in Springfield last year. The other two match-ups took place in 1977 and 1982.
Last Week
The Bears went 1-3 at the MSU Fall Invitational. Missouri State opened with a five-set victory against Kansas State on the strength of
Chloe Rear's triple-double and 15 kills on .324 hitting from
Sarabi Worsley-Gilbert.
   The Bears suffered back-to-back sweeps at the hands of SMU and Dayton before dropping a 3-2 heartbreaker to Weber State in the finale.
Â
