SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State had its highest kill total since 2019 with four players in double figures Saturday in a 3-2 (25-20, 22-25, 28-30, 25-21, 15-17) loss to Missouri Valley Conference newcomer UIC at Hammons Student Center.

The Bears' 71 kills were their most since October 2019, and the two-hour, 48-minute match was MSU's sixth five-setter in 11 conference matches and fourth to go beyond 15 points in the final set.

Iva Halacheva (25) and Lucca Dunser (18) posted career-high kills total while Deja Bickers and Azyah Green had 11 apiece. Halacheva's 25 kills were the most for an MSU player this season and her .422 hitting percentage made her the first Bear since Lily Johnson in 2017 to hit above .400 with 25-plus kills in a match. The Bulgaria native had at least four kills in every set.

Missouri State (7-15, 4-7 MVC) rallied time after time throughout the match and came back from an 11-6 deficit in the fifth to tie at 14 on a Green kill. Bickers tied it again at 15 before UIC (15-8, 7-4) ended it with a kill and a block, and the Bears fought off a total of 13 UIC set points in the contest.

MSU took the lead for good on a Teagan Polcovich ace during a 5-0 run in the opening set, then fought off three set points in the second before UIC got the tie.

In the third, UIC led 24-18 when the Bears went on a 7-0 run and claimed set point on a Dunser kill, then had another at 26-25 on Halacheva's winner. The Flames were unsuccessful on set points two more times until eventually winning 30-28.

The Bears extended the match to five thanks to a 10-0 run in the fourth that included four Dunser kills on the way to a 20-12 lead that held up.

MSU hit .247 compared to .245 for the Flames, who piled up 81 kills and led 72-69 in digs and 15-9 in blocks. The Bears owned a 5-3 lead at the service line and committed just two service errors in the match, which ended with an aggregate score of 115-113 in favor of the home team.

The Bears are on the road next weekend at Illinois State and Bradley.