Storylines for the SIU Match
1) Missouri State (15-14, 9-8 Missouri Valley Conference) has won six of its last eight matches heading into Wednesday's 4 p.m. regular season finale at Southern Illinois (18-10, 10-7). The Bears can still be seeded anywhere from fourth to seventh in next week's MVC Tournament in Springfield.
2) The Bears rank seventh nationally in total digs (1,885) and 18th in average (16.83/set). The high dig numbers continue a trend that saw the Bears rank 10th nationally in 2020-21 and 32nd in 2022 in total digs.
3) Senior
Teagan Polcovich became the 26th MSU player with 1,000 career digs on Sept. 8 and now ranks seventh on the school's list with 1,439. Her 4.00 career average ranks third at MoState, and she sits 17th nationally in total digs (550 - 10th on MSU season list) and 27th in average (4.91/set - 7th on MSU season list) in 2023.
4) Fifth-year senior
Azyah Green has recorded at least 100 blocks in each of her five seasons, the first player since the 1980s to lead the Bears in that category in four consecutive years.
   Green ranks fourth in school history with 580 total blocks and 11th with a 1.05 per set average. Her block total is the highest of any MSU player since 1988, and she is sixth in MVC history with 500 career block assists.
   Among active Division I players, Green is first in sets played (551), sixth in blocks (580) and seventh in matches (143).
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 .290 attack efficiency for her career.
6) Two MSU rookies have earned MVC Freshman of the Week this season.
Breanah Rives did so on Sept. 18 and averages 2.67 kills per set, just .15 off the team lead. Just three freshmen since 1986 have led the Bears in kills per set.
   Neele'ge Sims won on Nov. 6 after serving eight aces at Murray State, the most for a Missouri State player since 2006.
7) 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 1.44 aces per set this year, near the 1.61 figures posted in 2020 and 2022.
   The 2023 MSU roster has served a combined 430 aces in the Maroon and White, and the Bears have served double-digit ace totals 19 times in the last four seasons, including five in 2023.
8) Head coach
Steven McRoberts is in his fourth season in Springfield and 27th overall as a head coach with 643 victories to his credit, good for 11th among active Division I coaches.
9) The Missouri State-Southern Illinois coaching matchup features a combined 1,348 victories on the sideline, with MSU's
Steven McRoberts ranking 11th among active Division I coaches with 643 victories, and SIU's Ed Allen ranking 8th with 705 wins. McRoberts, who succeeded Allen as head coach at Tulsa in 2011, owns an 12-4 record in head-to-head meetings - 1-0 against Tulsa as Central Arkansas' head coach, 7-1 versus Alabama while coaching Ole Miss, and 4-3 in Missouri State/SIU match-ups.
Series History
MSU holds a 60-24 lead over Southern Illinois and is 25-11 against the Salukis in Carbondale. SIU has won the last three meetings overall.
Last Week
The Bears swept both Bradley and Illinois State at home. On Friday, MSU held BU to .010 hitting while serving nine aces in the 3-0 win.
Maddy Bushnell hit .538 with 16 kills.
   Saturday, the Bears had their highest hitting percentage since 2016 at .394, with Bushnell going for 12 kills on .478 hitting and
Azyah Green posting a 10-0-15 line against Illinois State.
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