Volleyball Hosts Valpo and UIC This Weekend

Missouri State vs. Valpo, UIC
Dates and Times	Oct 21, 6 p.m. vs. Valparaiso (17-4, 5-4) Oct. 22, 5 p.m. vs. UIC (13-8, 5-4)
Location	Springfield, Mo.
Site	Hammons Student Center
ESPN3	Friday \| Saturday
Live Stats	Sidearm Stats
Program	Digital Match Program
Missouri State	Match Notes (PDF) \| Volleyball Home Page
Valpo	Volleyball Home Page
UIC	Volleyball Home Page
Promotions	Saturday - Wear Black

Storylines for the Weekend
1) Missouri State is home for a second consecutive weekend and plays host to pair of teams in the top half of the Missouri Valley Conference standings with Valparaiso (17-4, 5-4) at 6 p.m. Friday and UIC (13-8, 5-4) at 5 p.m. Saturday.

2) The Bears have played beyond three sets in 15 of 21 matches this season with eight matches going the distance. MSU is averaging 4.1 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 six matches with 20-plus kills this season, including four in MVC play. Those four came in succession from Oct. 1-14, making her the first MSU player since Joleen Meservy in 1997 with four straight 20-kill matches.

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 76th nationally with 15.35 digs per set and 11th in total digs. Those numbers come from a balanced defensive effort with five players averaging at least 1.98 digs per set.

6) Missouri State is 20-10 at home under third-year head coach Steven McRoberts.

7) 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 431 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).

8) 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 1.58. The 2022 MSU roster has served a combined 264 aces in the Maroon and White, and the Bears rank 23rd nationally this season with 136 total aces.

Series Histories
Missouri State owns a 9-4 lead in the series with Valparaiso, including a 7-4 mark since the Beacons joined the MVC for the 2017 season. MSU has a 7-2 series lead at Hammons Student Center.
The Bears are 7-3-1 all-time against UIC though the schools haven't met since 1988. MSU is 4-2-1 versus the Flames in Springfield.

Volleyball Hosts Valpo and UIC This Weekend

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Players Mentioned

Azyah Green

Manuela Ibarguen

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