JONESBORO, Ark. – Missouri State took down Arkansas State 3-1 Friday evening after being swept by Wichita State in the opening match of the A-State Invitational at First National Bank Arena to earn a split on opening day of the 2021 college volleyball season.

"Really proud of the team and the growth we had today," head coach Steven McRoberts said after the Bears' win over ASU. "Total team effort with lots of great performances tonight. Our outside hitters were very efficient all match and our block really took over in the third and fourth sets."

Preseason all-Missouri Valley Conference outside hitter Amelia Flynn had 28 kills and 24 digs on the day, while junior outside Manuela Ibarguen hit .267 with 22 kills. Azyah Green and La'Treva Kennedy tallied four blocks apiece in the final two sets of the A-State match to help the Bears take control at the net, and Rylee Fay served three aces in each contest.

The Bears conclude the tournament at noon Saturday versus UT Martin. The Skyhawks (0-2) lost to ASU and WSU on Friday.

Wichita State Recap (WSU won 25-22, 26-24, 25-16)
After a pair of close encounters in the first two sets, the third was all Wichita State as the Shockers swept the Bears in the season opener for both teams.

Missouri State rallied from a 13-7 deficit in the first set to pull even at 18, only to see the Shockers rattle off three in a row to regain control.

The second set was tied 15 times, and the Bears fought off a pair of set points with a Green block and Flynn kill to make it 24-all, but the Shockers got consecutive kills from Brylee Kelly in response for the win.

The Bears fell behind 3-0 and never recovered in the third, the big blow a 6-0 WSU run that put the Shockers ahead 17-6.

Flynn led the way with 10 kills, and freshman Morgan Sprague handled the setting duties, producing a double-double with 28 assists and 10 digs. Teagan Polcovich had a team-high 11 digs, and Green added three blocks.

Wichita led 43-34 in kills, 257-.192 in hitting percentage, 43-42 in digs and 5-4 in blocks.


Arkansas State Recap (MSU won 25-22, 17-25, 25-20, 25-7)
Flynn had 18 kills and 18 digs, Ibarguen hit .371 with 16 kills, and the Bears piled up 55 kills in four sets for their first victory of the season.

Brooklyn Cink and Flynn combined for 11 kills in the first set, leading the Bears to a .333 attack efficiency in the victory, and the Red Wolves evened the score in the second period, going up 10-6 after a 4-0 run and leading by at least three points the rest of the period.

Ibarguen, Flynn and Cink combined for 13 of MSU's 14 kills in the third set and Missouri State took the lead for good with a 4-0 run for a 16-13 advantage.

The Bears then dominated the fourth, siding out on all eight ASU serves and hitting .370 with five blocks and three aces in MSU's most lopsided set victory since 2013.

Green had five blocks and Kennedy had four in the contest. Sprague tallied 39 assists and 16 digs, and Polcovich scooped 17 digs. The Bears led 55-50 in kills, .248-.185 in hitting percentage, 4-2 in aces and 12-5 in blocks.