Storylines for the Weekend
1) Missouri State (8-9, 3-2 Missouri Valley Conference) finishes a five-match home stand this weekend with matches against Belmont at 6 p.m. Friday and Murray State at 5 p.m. Saturday at Hammons Student Center.
2) The Bears lead the MVC in total digs (1,110), dig average (16.82/set) and opponent hitting percentage (.180). MoState's dig numbers rank near the top of the list nationally, sitting fifth in total dig and 15th in average.
3) Senior
Teagan Polcovich became the 26th MSU player with 1,000 career digs on Sept. 8 and now ranks 13th on the school's list with 1,217. Her 3.88 career average ranks fourth on the Bears' career list, and she sits 10th nationally in total digs (328) and 26th in average (4.97/set) in 2023.
4) Fifth-year senior
Azyah Green has recorded at least 100 blocks in each of her first four seasons and is the first player since the 1980s to lead the Bears in that category in four consecutive years.
Green ranks fifth in school history with 530 total blocks and 11th with a 1.05 per set average. Among active Division I players, Green is first in sets played (501), sixth in blocks (530) and sixth in matches (131).
5) Junior
Maddy Bushnell set MSU's freshman record with a .343 hitting percentage in 2021, and currently ranks 11th in school history with a .292 attack efficiency for her career.
6) MoState has notched the top three ace averages since the 25-point scoring era began in the last three seasons, and ranked 39th nationally in 2022 with 195 total aces. The Bears average 1.58 aces per set this year, on par with the 1.61 figures posted in 2020 and 2022.
The 2023 MSU roster has served a combined 368 aces in the Maroon and White, and the Bears have served double-digit ace totals 18 times in the last four seasons, including four in 2023. This year, the Bears are a net plus-34 points at the service line over the opposition.
7) Head coach
Steven McRoberts is in his fourth season in Springfield and 27th overall as a head coach with 636 victories to his credit, good for 12th among active Division I coaches.
8) The Bears will play half of their scheduled 30 matches at Hammons Student Center this season and host the MVC Tournament for the first time since 2018. Missouri State has hosted the conference meet 10 times previously, three as the Gateway Tournament and seven under the MVC heading. All told, Hammons will host 27 matches this season, including neutral-site contests.
Series Histories
Missouri State is 4-0 all-time against Belmont with a 12-1 record in sets. The Bears won both matches of the home-and-home MVC series last year, and also own sweeps of the Bruins in Springfield in 2000 and 2006.
The Bears are 5-1 against Murray State, with the Racers' 3-2 win in Springfield on Oct. 14 of last season their first in the series. MoState won 3-2 in Murray last season in the first meeting since 1992. That 1992 match was in the first round of the postseason National Invitational Championship in Kansas City, won 3-0 by the Bears.
Last Week
Missouri State went 2-1 in three home matches, beginning with a 3-1 win over Indiana State on Sept. 29. The Bears tallied 12 blocks in that match and
Breanah Rives had 16 kills.
The next day, Missouri State held Evansville to .090 hitting to sweep the Aces.
On Monday, the Bears were one point away from a 2-0 lead in the match before Southern Illinois rallied to claim the second set on the way to a 3-1 victory.
