First-Place Bears Return Home to Face UNI and Drake

Friday, September 30

Springfield, Mo.

6:00 p.m.

Missouri State University

UNI

First-Place Bears Return Home to Face UNI and Drake

September 28, 2022 | Women's Volleyball

Live Stats Watch (Fri.)Watch (Sat.)Game Notes

By: MSU Athletics Communications

4Missouri State vs. UNI, Drake
Dates and Times	Sept. 30, 6 p.m. vs. UNI (9-6, 2-0) Oct. 1, 5 p.m. vs. Drake (10-5, 1-1)
Location	Springfield, Mo.
Site	Hammons Student Center
ESPN3	UNI \| Drake
Live Stats	Sidearm Stats
Program	Digital Match Program
Missouri State	Match Notes \| Volleyball Home Page
UNI	Volleyball Home Page
Drake	Volleyball Home Page
Promotions	Friday - White Out and rally towel giveaway

Storylines for the Weekend
1) Missouri State returns home for the first time since Aug. 28 to face UNI at 6 p.m. Friday and Drake at 5 p.m. Saturday in Missouri Valley Conference action. The first-place Bears (5-9, 2-0 MVC) recently concluded the longest in-season stretch away from home since 1989, playing their last 11 matches away from Hammons Student Center.

2) The Bears are 2-0 in MVC play for the second time in the last three seasons and 15th time in 31 years in the Valley. MSU has never finished below third in the final standings after a 2-0 start, going on to regular season titles four times, second place finishes on seven occasions and ending in third place three times.

3) Saturday will be the 900th career match for head coach Steven McRoberts.

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) Missouri State is 12-7 in five-setters and 19-7 at home under McRoberts.

6) The Bears rank 88th nationally with 15.07 digs per set and 38th in total digs. Those numbers come from a balanced defensive effort with six players averaging at least 1.76 digs per set.

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 14th in school history with 399 career blocks and 11th with a 1.06 per set average.

8) 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. Bushnell is at .289 this season and has eclipsed the .300 mark in 24 of 43 career matches.

9) 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 1.52. The 2022 MSU roster has served a combined 213 aces in the Maroon and White.

Series Histories
UNI holds a 55-28 lead in the all-time series, though Missouri State has won eight of the last 14 meetings with the Panthers.
Missouri State owns a 66-10 series lead on Drake. The Bears have won 42 of the last 44 meetings, the exceptions being losses in Springfield in 2010 and in Des Moines in 2021.