Missouri State vs. Murray State & Belmont, at SIU
Dates and Times	Oct. 14, 6 p.m. vs. Murray State (6-11, 2-5) Oct. 15, 5 p.m. vs. Belmont (7-13, 3-4) Oct. 17, 6 p.m. at Southern Illinois (11-7, 4-2)
Locations	Springfield, Mo. (Fri.-Sat.) Carbondale, Ill. (Mon.)
Sites	Hammons Student Center(Fri.-Sat.) Davies Gym (Mon.)
Watch	Friday (ESPN3) Saturday (ESPN3)  Monday (ESPN+)
Live Stats	Fri.-Sat. | Monday
Program	Digital Match Program
Missouri State	Match Notes | Volleyball Home Page
Murray State	Volleyball Home Page
Belmont	Volleyball Home Page
SIU	Volleyball Home Page
Promotions	Pink Out Friday and Saturday
Parking	Due to a large conference being held at Great Southern Bank Arena, fans are encouraged to arrive early for home athletic events scheduled on Oct. 13 and 14. Fans are also encouraged to utilize Lot 20, south of Allison South Stadium, or one of the two campus parking garages due to a high demand for parking on those dates.

Storylines for the Weekend
1) Missouri State plays three matches in four days around the weekend, hosting Missouri Valley Conference newcomers Murray State (6-11, 2-5) and Belmont (7-13, 3-4) on Friday and Saturday before heading to Southern Illinois (11-7, 4-2) for a 6 p.m. Monday contest.

2) Missouri State's last nine matches have gone at least four sets, the second-longest stretch without a three-setter in school history. The long of 10 consecutive matches took place from Oct. 3, 2020-Feb. 15, 2021. The Bears are averaging 4.17 sets per match this year and have only eclipsed 4.0 on one other other occasion, the 2020-21 season at 4.18.

3) Senior Manuela Ibarguen has finished with 20 or more kills in three consecutive matches and is hitting .272 over that stretch. She is the ninth player in school history with at least five 20-kill matches in a season, and the first MSU player since three-time MVC Player of the Year Lily Johnson in 2017 to have three consecutive 20-kill matches and two in a row with at least 23.

4) MSU has 18 games scheduled in Missouri this season, with three-game tournaments at Missouri and Saint Louis in addition to 12 home contests.

5) The Bears rank 60th nationally with 15.49 digs per set and 17th in total digs. Those numbers come from a balanced defensive effort with five players averaging at least 1.98 digs per set.

6) Senior Azyah Green has led MSU in blocking each of her first three seasons and is on pace to do so again this year. All-American Linette White is the last Bear to lead the club three years in a row, doing so in 2001, 2002 and 2003. The last player to lead the team in four consecutive years was Mindy Struckhoff from 1985-88. Green ranks 12th in school history with 418 career blocks and 11th with a 1.06 per set average. Both totals are the highest for any player who played exclusively in the 25-point scoring era (since 2008).

7) MSU has notched the top two ace averages since the 25-point scoring era began in the last two seasons, posting 1.61 per set in 2020-21 and 1.38 last season, and this year's average sits between those at 1.55. The 2022 MSU roster has served a combined 244 aces in the Maroon and White.

8) The Missouri State-Southern Illinois coaching matchup features a combined 1,304 victories on the sideline, with MSU's Steven McRoberts ranking 17th among active Division I coaches with 624 victories, and SIU's Ed Allen ranking 12th with 680 wins. McRoberts, who succeeded Allen as head coach at Tulsa in 2011, owns an 12-1 record in head-to-head meetings - 1-0 against Tulsa as Central Arkansas' head coach, 7-1 versus Alabama while coaching Ole Miss, and 4-0 in Missouri State/SIU match-ups.

Series Histories
Missouri State is 5-0 all-time against Murray State after a 3-2 win in Murray on Sept. 24. Prior to that match, the programs had not played since 1992.
    The Bears are 3-0 against Belmont with home sweeps of the Bruins in 2000 and 2006 and a 3-1 win in Nashville on Sept. 23 of this season.
    MSU leads SIU 62-20 in the all-time series, winning 31 of the last 37 meetings.

First Meetings This Season
The Bears won 3-1 at Belmont on Sept. 23 in the Bruins' first match as a league member, landing the first blow in the battle for ursine supremacy in the MVC. MSU hit season-best .316 and four different players had at least 12 kills and hit .303 or better.
    Missouri State topped Murray State in five sets on Sept. 24. Maddy Bushnell hit. 364 with 21 kills, Kate Owen had 31 digs and four aces, and the Bears recorded a season-high 15 blocks.