Saturday, November 11
Springfield, Mo.
5:00 p.m.
Missouri State University
15-14,9-8MVC
3
vs
0
Illinois State
11-18,9-8MVC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois St. | 18 | 22 | 14 | 0 |
| Missouri St. | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Bears Sweep Redbirds on Senior Night
November 11, 2023 | Women's Volleyball
SPRINGFIELD – The Missouri State volleyball team celebrated Senior Night with its best offensive outing of the year, hitting .394 with only five attack errors in a 25-18, 25-22, 25-14 sweep of visiting Illinois State at Hammons Student Center.
The Bears won for the sixth time in eight outings, improving to 15-14 overall and 9-8 in Missouri Valley Conference play, tying the Redbirds (11-18, 9-8) for sixth in the conference standings with only a 4 p.m. Wednesday match at Southern Illinois (18-10, 10-7) remaining before the MVC Tournament begins in Springfield on Nov. 19.
Missouri State's hitting percentage was the team's highest since hitting .398 against Indiana State seven years ago to the day. The Bears' six attack errors were the team's fewest in a match since October 2017, when they had five in a match against those same Sycamores.
The Bears played an error-free first set offensively, led by Maddy Bushnell (five kills, two blocks) and Azyah Green (four kills, two blocks).
Bushnell and Green powered the offense all night, with Bushnell hitting .478 with 12 kills and Green hitting .667 with 10 kills and six blocks. Freshman Breanah Rives added 12 kills and hit .286 from the outside.
Deja Bickers tallied four kills in a 7-3 run late in the second set that turned a 16-15 deficit into a 22-19 lead as the Bears went ahead 2-0, and an 8-0 run late in the third set put the match away. Green and Rives each had three kills in that run and teamed up for a block to combine for seven of the eight points, and Missouri State hit .640 with 17 kills on 25 swings with one error in the final period.
Morgan Sprague added 36 assists and 11 digs for her eight consecutive double-double, and Teagan Polcovich had a team-best 17 digs.
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The Bears won for the sixth time in eight outings, improving to 15-14 overall and 9-8 in Missouri Valley Conference play, tying the Redbirds (11-18, 9-8) for sixth in the conference standings with only a 4 p.m. Wednesday match at Southern Illinois (18-10, 10-7) remaining before the MVC Tournament begins in Springfield on Nov. 19.
Missouri State's hitting percentage was the team's highest since hitting .398 against Indiana State seven years ago to the day. The Bears' six attack errors were the team's fewest in a match since October 2017, when they had five in a match against those same Sycamores.
The Bears played an error-free first set offensively, led by Maddy Bushnell (five kills, two blocks) and Azyah Green (four kills, two blocks).
Bushnell and Green powered the offense all night, with Bushnell hitting .478 with 12 kills and Green hitting .667 with 10 kills and six blocks. Freshman Breanah Rives added 12 kills and hit .286 from the outside.
Deja Bickers tallied four kills in a 7-3 run late in the second set that turned a 16-15 deficit into a 22-19 lead as the Bears went ahead 2-0, and an 8-0 run late in the third set put the match away. Green and Rives each had three kills in that run and teamed up for a block to combine for seven of the eight points, and Missouri State hit .640 with 17 kills on 25 swings with one error in the final period.
Morgan Sprague added 36 assists and 11 digs for her eight consecutive double-double, and Teagan Polcovich had a team-best 17 digs.
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#BearsUnite
Players Mentioned
Outside Hitter
/ Women's Volleyball
Middle Blocker
/ Women's Volleyball
Middle Blocker
/ Women's Volleyball
Defensive Specialist
/ Women's Volleyball
Outside Hitter
/ Women's Volleyball
Setter
/ Women's VolleyballTeam Stats
ILS
MOST
Kills
43
49
Errors
15
6
Attempts
106
109
Hitting %
.264
.394
Points
51.0
62.0
Assists
43
47
Aces
3
4
Blocks
5
9
Game Leaders
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Monday, June 22
Wednesday, June 17
Wednesday, June 17
Wednesday, June 17
