Volleyball Opens Home Schedule with Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational

Thursday, August 31

Springfield, Mo.

6:00 p.m.

Missouri State University

Kansas City

Volleyball Opens Home Schedule with Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational

August 30, 2023 | Women's Volleyball

Live Stats ESPN+ (Thursday)ESPN+ (Friday)Game Notes

By: MSU Athletics Communications

Missouri State Hosts Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational
Match 1	August 31, 6 p.m. vs. Kansas City Live Stats \| ESPN+
Match 2	Sept. 1, 6 p.m. vs. UT Martin Live Stats \| ESPN+
Match 3	Sept. 2, 3 p.m. vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff Live Stats
Neutral matches	Sept. 1, 10 a.m. UAPB vs. UT Martin Live Stats Sept. 1, 3 p.m. Kansas City vs. UAPB Live Stats Sept. 2, 12 p.m. Kansas City vs. UT Martin Live Stats
Location	Springfield, Mo.
Site	Hammons Student Center
Missouri State	Match Notes Volleyball Home Page
Kansas City	Volleyball Home Page
UT Martin	Volleyball Home Page
UAPB	Volleyball Home Page

Storylines for the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational
1) Missouri State (2-1) opens the home schedule this week with the annual Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational at Hammons Student Center. The Bears will take on Kansas City at 6 p.m. Thursday, UT Martin at 6 p.m. Friday and Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 3 p.m. Saturday.

2) 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 2.33 aces per set this year, which exceeds the averages from the previous three seasons.
   The 2023 MSU roster has served a combined 285 aces in the Maroon and White, and the Bears have served double-digit ace totals 15 times in the last three-plus seasons. The team's 11 aces on Aug. 25 vs. Texas A&M-Commerce were its most in a three-set match since 2007.

3) The Bears lead the MVC and rank sixth nationally in opponent hitting percentage (.066) through one weekend of action. MoState held Texas Southern to -.096 hitting on Aug. 26, the lowest for an opponent since 2013.

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 already has 476 total blocks as a Bear – seventh on the school's career list – and could end her time at MSU as one of five players with at least 500 stuffs.
   Her career 1.06 blocking average ranks 11th in school history, and her totals both overall and per set are the highest for any player who played exclusively in the 25-point scoring era (since 2008).

5) Head coach Steven McRoberts is in his fourth season in Springfield and 27th overall as a head coach with 630 victories to his credit, good for 12th among active Division I coaches.

6) 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.

7) MoState returns in excess of 76 percent of its production in every statistical category from 2022, with 10 players on the roster who played in at least half the team's sets a year ago.

8) Senior Teagan Polcovich (932) and junior Kate Owen (735) are both nearing 1,000 career digs for the Bears. Entering 2023, a total of 25 players in school history have reached that milestone.

Series Histories
Missouri State is a combined 28-0-1 against this weekend's tournament field.
   The Bears are 23-0-1 versus Kansas City with wins in each of the last two seasons. Additionally, Missouri State is 150-14-3 all-time against other Missouri schools.
   MoState is 4-0 all-time versus UT Martin, with a sweep in August 2021 the only meeting since 1999, which was also the lone match in Springfield between the programs.
   Missouri State won the only matchup with UAPB by a 3-0 final in September 2008 in Springfield.

Last Week
The Bears went 2-1 at the UTSA Invitational to open the season.
   Missouri State swept Texas A&M-Commerce in the opener, holding the Lions to .011 hitting and serving 11 aces, the team's most in a sweep since 2007.
   Next, the Bears were kept to .090 hitting and aced nine times by host UTSA in a 3-0 loss.
   MoState rebounded to limit Texas Southern to -.096 hitting to sweep the Tigers in Saturday's finale, the lowest opponent efficiency since 2013.
   Azyah Green and Teagan Polcovich earned all-tournament honors for the Bears.