MURRAY, Ky. – Missouri State is off to a 2-0 start in conference play for the second time in three seasons after a wild five-set victory Saturday evening at Murray State that lasted two hours, 40 minutes.

Maddy Bushnell pounded a career-high 21 kills on .364 hitting, Kate Owen tallied career-highs of 31 digs and four aces, and the Bears recorded their highest blocking total since February 2021 with 15 stuffs in the 18-25, 29-27, 25-21, 23-25, 15-9 win. Owen's dig total was the most for an MSU player since Teagan Polcovich tied the school record with 46 in April 2021.

The Bears (5-9, 2-0 Missouri Valley Conference) also tied a season high with 11 aces, while Manuela Ibarguen had 14 kills and 13 digs for her seventh double-double of the year and Azyah Green went for 11 kills and seven blocks.

Murray State (4-8, 0-2) led wire to wire in the first set and the Bears appeared ready to do the same in the second after Owen served two aces in a 4-0 run to lead 14-8. The Racers tied six times before gaining set point at 24-22, and the Bears spoiled five set point chances before Iva Halacheva's block secured the set win and evened the match.

The back-and-forth continued over the next two sets, with six ties and four lead changes in the third until a 5-0 run but the Bears up for good at 18-13. Green had four kills and three blocks in the set while Ibarguen tallied seven kills.

In the fourth, the 12th tie and sixth lead change came during a decisive 4-0 Murray State run that put the Racers up for good at 22-19 on the way to forcing a fifth set.

The Bears closed out the match on an 8-2 run after a 7-all tie in the fifth, with Halacheva going 4-for-5 on the attack and the defense limiting Murray to .036 hitting and five kills.

Missouri State returns home for the first time in more than a month next weekend to face UNI at 6 p.m. Friday and Drake at 5 p.m. Saturday at Hammons Student Center.