Storylines for the Weekend
1) Missouri State (11-5, 2-2 Missouri Valley Conference) is back at Hammons Student Center this weekend for matches with UNI at 6 p.m. Friday and Drake at 5 p.m. Saturday.
2) The Bears went 9-3 in non-conference play, getting to nine wins before Valley competition for the first time since 2016. MSU's .750 winning percentage against non-league schools is the best since an 11-3 (.786) mark in 2007, excluding MSU's 4-1 record in an abbreviated non-conference slate last season.
3) Outside hitter
Amelia Flynn became the seventh member of Missouri State's 1,000-kill/1,000-dig club last week, getting her 1,000th career dig Oct. 1 at Illinois State. She ranked 13th at MSU with 1,224 kills and 23rd with 1,016 digs.
4) Middle blockers
Azyah Green and
Maddy Bushnell have been a force at the net this season. Green's 1.19 blocking average is on pace for the best at MSU in the 25-point scoring era, while Bushnell leads the MVC with a .383 hitting percentage that would rank second in school history should she reach the required 200 total kills to qualify for the record book. Bushnell enters the weekend with 100 kills on the season.
5) Missouri State is 4-1 at Hammons Student Center this season, 13-3 under Coach McRoberts, and has won 77 percent of all-time matches in its 46th season at the facility, including a winning record in 22 straight years.
6) The Bears are 3-0 in five-set matches this season and 9-4 under Coach McRoberts when going the distance.
7) Missouri State has posted an overall winning record, both overall and in MVC play, 21 times in the last 22 seasons.
8) Missouri State second-year head coach
Steven McRoberts became the 19th active Division I head coach with 600 career wins with MSU's 3-1 triumph against Bradley on March 22, 2021. He entered this fall ranked ranked 18th among active Division I coaches in total victories and 25th in winning percentage.
Series Histories
UNI holds a 54-27 lead in the all-time series after the teams split last season in Cedar Falls. Before that, the Panthers won four straight from 2018-19 following a six-match streak by the Bears from 2015-17.
   Missouri State owns a 65-9 series lead on Drake, and the teams did not play last season after positive COVID test results within the DU program canceled the two matches. The Bears have won 41 of the last 42 meetings, the exception being a loss in Springfield in 2010.
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