Storylines for the Hawkeye Invitational
1) Missouri State (4-2) has opened the 2023 campaign with a pair of winning weekends and heads north for the Hawkeye Invitational this week with matches against Grand Canyon at 3 p.m. Friday, Iowa at 6 p.m. Saturday and Central Michigan at 11 a.m. Sunday.
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 1.86 aces per set this year, which exceeds the averages from the previous three seasons.
   The 2023 MSU roster has served a combined 305 aces in the Maroon and White, and the Bears have served double-digit ace totals 16 times in the last three-plus seasons. This year, the Bears are a net plus-18 points at the service line over the opposition.
3) The Bears lead the MVC and rank 23rd nationally in opponent hitting percentage (.132) through six matches, holding three separate opponents to .066 or lower.
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 487 total blocks as a Bear – sixth 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 1.05 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) Senior
Teagan Polcovich (999) and junior
Kate Owen (769) are both nearing 1,000 career digs for the Bears. Entering 2023, a total of 25 players in school history have reached that milestone.
   Additionally, Polcovich ranks 30th nationally in total digs (110) and 48th overall with 12 aces.
6) Head coach
Steven McRoberts is in his fourth season in Springfield and 27th overall as a head coach with 632 victories to his credit, good for 12th among active Division I coaches.
7) 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.
Series Histories
Missouri State is a combined 10-1 against this weekend's tournament field.
   The Bears are 7-1 against Iowa, though the programs have met just once since 1986, a 3-1 Bears win on Aug. 31, 2001 in Fullerton, Calif.
   MoState is 3-0 all-time versus Central Michigan, most recently a September 2018 sweep in Lincoln, Neb. Other matchups were in 1988 and 1990.
   Missouri State has never played Grand Canyon in volleyball.
Last Week
The Bears went 2-1 at the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational in Springfield.
   On Thursday, the Bears let a 2-0 lead slip away in a five-set loss to Kansas City.
Deja Bickers had a career-high 21 kills.
   MoState rebounded with a five-set victory Friday over UT Martin, getting 21 kills on .450 hitting from
Maddy Bushnell and 30 digs from
Teagan Polcovich.
   Saturday, the Bears swept UAPB, hitting .351 with five different players recording at least eight kills.  Â
