MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Missouri State will have to wait one more day to determine its postseason fate after dropping a 25-23, 26-24, 25-16 decision at Middle Tennessee Friday at Alumni Memorial Gymnasium.
 
Needing a win or a Delaware loss to earn the eighth and final spot in next week's Conference USA Tournament, the Bears (10-16, 5-10) came up short at MTSU while Delaware claimed a 3-2 home victory over Sam Houston to tie MoState in the standings with one match remaining.
 
The Bears own the tiebreak over the Blue Hens, meaning a MoState win at Middle Tennessee at 11:30 a.m. Saturday or a Delaware loss to Sam Houston at noon will put the MSU in the CUSA field in Miami.
 
The Blue Raiders (11-16, 3-12) came up clutch at the end of the first two sets, collecting a kill and ace after a 23-23 tie in the first, then closing the second period on a 6-0 run after a 24-20 deficit for the 2-0 lead in the match.
 
In the third, MTSU used a 15-3 run to build a 19-9 advantage, serving five aces and holding the Bears to seven kills in the final period.
 
Neither offense got going in the contest, with MTSU hitting .154 compared to .119 for the Bears. MoState tallied 12 blocks, its 10^th time in double figures this season, with Lizanyela Lopez and Chloe Judd recording six stuffs apiece. Lopez moved up to 118 total blocks for the year, good for the No. 7 season total at MSU in the 25-point scoring era (since 2008).
 
Brooke Eslinger had 20 digs for Missouri State, while Hannah Gardner added seven along with nine assists and a team-best eight kills.