Bears Head to Buckeye State for Dayton Invitational

Missouri State at Dayton Invitational
Dates and Times	Sept. 9, 10 a.m. vs. Villanova Sept. 9, 4 p.m. vs. #25 Illinois Sept. 10, 12 p.m. at Dayton
Location	Dayton, Ohio
Site	Frericks Center
Live Video	ESPN+ (Dayton only)
Live Stats	VU \| ILL \| DU
Missouri State	Match Notes \| Volleyball Home Page
Villanova	Volleyball Home Page
Illinois	Volleyball Home Page
Dayton	Volleyball Home Page

Storylines for the Dayton Invitational
1) Missouri State leaves the Show-Me State for the first time this season when it heads to Ohio for the Dayton Invitational. The Bears will take on Villanova, No. 25 Illinois and the host Flyers.

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 is 9-43 against top-25 competition with records dating to 2001. One of those nine victories came against Illinois in 2016, a 3-2 Bears win in Champaign over the 14th-ranked Illinois, while another was against No. 22 Dayton on the road in 2013.

4) Missouri State is 14-9 in non-conference matches under third-year head coach Steven McRoberts.

5) The Bears lead the Missouri Valley Conference and rank 32nd nationally with 16.22 digs per set. Those numbers come from a balanced defensive effort with five players averaging at least 2.05 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 373 career blocks and 11th with a1.09 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 1.52. The 2022 MSU roster has served a combined 162 aces in the Maroon and White.

Series Histories
Missouri State has never played Villanova in volleyball and is 39-13 against current Big EAST membership.
Missouri State is 4-4-1 against Illinois. The teams split a home-and-home series in 2016 and 2017, with the Bears topping the 14th-ranked Illini in Champaign in 2016 and Illinois returning the favor in Springfield the following season. Both matches went five sets.
The Bears and Flyers have split four all-time meetings. MSU beat No. 22 Dayton in the Frericks Center in 2013, and DU won in Springfield the prior season in the most recent match-ups.

Bears Head to Buckeye State for Dayton Invitational

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Players Mentioned

Maddy Bushnell

Azyah Green

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