Bears Begin Valley Play at Home This Weekend

Missouri State vs. Loyola, Valparaiso
Dates and Times	Sept. 24, 6 p.m. vs. Loyola (7-5) Sept. 25, 5 p.m. vs. Valpo (9-2)
Location	Springfield, Mo.
Site	Hammons Student Center
Fan Information	Masks are required for indoor events on the Missouri State campus
ESPN3	Loyola \| Valpo
Live Stats	Sidearm Stats
Program	Digital Match Program
Missouri State	Match Notes \| Volleyball Home Page
Loyola	Volleyball Home Page
Valpo	Volleyball Home Page
Promotions	Friday - Future Bears Night, free pair of bear ears to first 100 kids (12 and under) in attendance Saturday - Free entry with ticket to Saturday's football game

Storylines for the Weekend
1) Missouri State (9-3) begins its 30th Missouri Valley Conference season at home with matches against Loyola (7-5) at 6 p.m. Friday and Valparaiso (9-2) at 5 p.m. Saturday at Hammons Student Center. The Bears own a .712 all-time winning percentage in MVC action, placing in the top half of the standings 25 times in 29 years.

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) The Bears are predicted to finish fourth in a closely-contested preseason Missouri Valley Conference poll. MSU received one first-place vote and 71 total points, just eight behind favorite Illinois State. The top six teams in this year's poll are separated by 11 points.

4) Missouri State is 2-0 in five-set matches this season and 8-4 under Coach McRoberts when going the distance.

5) After averaging 1.61 aces per set last season, Missouri State's best figure since 1995, the Bears have improved to a 1.76 average this season. Of MSU's 148 aces last season, 147 return to the roster this year.

6) In addition to returning all but one ace from last season, the Bears also bring back 91 percent of kills, 99.8 percent of assists, 99.4 percent of digs, 86.2 percent of blocks and 91.1 percent of total points to this year's club.

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
Missouri State owns an 8-3 lead in the series with Valparaiso, including a 6-3 mark since the Beacons joined the MVC for the 2017 season. MSU has a 6-2 series lead at Hammons Student Center.
Missouri State owns a 13-6 lead in the series with Loyola, but has lost five of the last seven meetings.

Bears Begin Valley Play at Home This Weekend

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