Missouri State Volleyball Stays on the Road for Billiken Classic

Missouri State at Billiken Classic
Dates and Times	Sept. 16, 10 a.m. vs. Kansas City Sept. 16, 7 p.m. at Saint Louis Sept. 17, 1 p.m. vs. Iowa State
Location	St. Louis, Mo.
Site	Chaifetz Pavilion
Live Video	ESPN+ (SLU only)
Live Stats	KC \| SLU \| ISU
Missouri State	Match Notes \| Volleyball Home Page
Kansas City	Volleyball Home Page
Saint Louis	Volleyball Home Page
Iowa State	Volleyball Home Page

Storylines for the Billiken Classic
1) Missouri State wraps up non-conference play this weekend with matches against Kansas City, Saint Louis and Iowa State at the Billiken Classic.

2) The Bears are in the midst of playing 11 consecutive matches away from Springfield, the longest streak since 14 straight to end the 2016 season and start 2017. The last time MSU had an in-season stretch away from Springfield this long was 12 in a row to begin the 1989 campaign.

3) MSU plays two in-state foes this week with Kansas City and Saint Louis on the docket. The Bears are a combined 43-1-1 all-time against those programs and 149-13-3 all-time versus fellow Missouri teams.

4) Missouri State is 15-11 in non-conference matches and 11-7 in five-setters under third-year head coach Steven McRoberts.

5) The Bears rank 75th nationally with 15.23 digs per set. Those numbers come from a balanced defensive effort with six players averaging at least 1.67 digs per set.

6) Senior Azyah Green averaged 1.17 blocks per set last season, the highest figure at Missouri State since 2006. She led the Bears in blocking in each of her first three seasons, becoming the first player to lead the club three years in a row since All-Ameican Linette White did it in 2001, 2002 and 2003. She ranks 14th in school history with 383 career blocks and 11th with a 1.08 per set average.

7) Sophomore middle Maddy Bushnell set an MSU freshman record and led the MVC with a .343 attack percentage last season. Her efficiency ranked sixth overall for a season at MSU.

8) MSU has notched the top two ace averages since the 25-point scoring era began (2008) 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 1.46. The 2022 MSU roster has served a combined 179 aces in the Maroon and White.

Series Histories
Missouri State is 22-0-1 all-time versus Kansas City. The teams have met twice in the last decade, both five-set wins by the Bears in Lawrence, Kan., in 2015 and 2021.
The Bears are 21-1 in the series with Saint Louis, including a sweep in Springfield last season in the only meeting since 2010. SLU's lone win in the series was a five-set victory in Springfield in 1999.
MSU holds an 11-5 advantage on Iowa State in 16 all-time meetings. The Cyclones won the last matchup, a 2016 sweep in Milwaukee, and before that the teams had not played since a 3-1 home win for the Bears in 2005.

Missouri State Volleyball Stays on the Road for Billiken Classic

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Maddy Bushnell

Azyah Green

Footer