Volleyball Bears Visit Preseason CUSA Favorite WKU This Weekend

Missouri State at WKU
Location	Bowling Green, Ky.
Site	E.A. Diddle Arena
Match 1	Friday, Oct. 2, 6 p.m. ESPN+ \| Live Stats
Match 2	Saturday, Oct. 3, 1 p.m. ESPN+ \| Live Stats
Missouri State	Game Notes Volleyball Home Page Media Guide
Opponent	Volleyball Home Page
Follow the Bears	Twitter \| Instagram \| Facebook #GoBears \| #NoStateLikeMoState
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Storylines for the WKU Series
1) Missouri State (11-3, 2-0) hits the road this weekend for two matches at preseason Conference USA favorite Western Kentucky (8-6, 2-0). The Bears are 2-0 in league play for the first time since 2022 and turn the page to October after a 10-1 September, the program's most wins in a calendar month since September 2017.
Both head coaches in the series rank among the top five in Division I in victories, with Steven McRoberts at fifth on the active list with 680 and WKU's Travis Hudson in second with 815 victories.

2) The Bears are 1-4 against Western Kentucky but won the only meeting in Bowling Green in five sets in 2015. WKU won both meetings in Springfield last year.

3) Sophomore and Preseason all-CUSA selection Hannah Gardner is one of two Division I players this season with at least 140 kills, 250 assists and 125 digs.
The CUSA Setter of the Week on Sept. 14, Gardner already has three triple-doubles this season and five in her career, tying for the most at MSU in the rally scoring era (since 2001).

4) Senior Brooke Eslinger surpassed 1,000 career digs on Sept. 17 and now ranks 24th in program history with 1,055. She won CUSA Defensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 7 and ranks fourth in CUSA with 4.08 digs per set this season.

5) The Bears lead CUSA with 13.73 kills per set and rank second with a .247 hitting efficiency while topping the .200 mark in all but one match this season. Mo State's 11 consecutive matches above .200 is the longest stretch since 13 in a row in 2017.

6) MSU has ranked in the top 32 nationally in total digs in four of the last six seasons, finishing 10th in 2020-21, 11th in 2023, 32nd in 2022, and fourth in 2024. The Bears lead CUSA and rank 24th nationally with 15.73 digs per set in 2026.

7) Head coach Steven McRoberts is in his seventh season in Springfield and 30th overall as a head coach with 680 victories to his credit, good for 5th among active Division I coaches.
The Bears play the top three coaches in active wins this season, facing Stephen F. Austin (Debbie Humphreys, 1st, 877), Western Kentucky (Travis Hudson, 2nd, 815) and Sam Houston (Brenda Gray, 3rd, 798). Additionally, New Mexico State (Mike Jordan, 13th, 605) and Wichita State (Chris Lamb, 19th, 549) are also on the 2026 slate.

8) Though it's only year two for Missouri State in CUSA, Coach McRoberts is entering his fifth season in the conference after spending 2011-13 as the head coach at Tulsa. McRoberts owns a career 52-16 record in CUSA contests.

9) Second-year Missouri State assistant coach Lori Endicott-Vandersnick helped Team USA to a bronze medal in volleyball at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and was named the best setter at the '92 Games.

10) Hammons Student Center turns 50 this year, with its official opening on Sept. 17, 1976. Missouri State has posted 45 winning seasons in 49 years in the facility while winning 75 percent of its matches at HSC, and own a 5-0 home mark this season.

Volleyball Bears Visit Preseason CUSA Favorite WKU This Weekend

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Players Mentioned

Brooke Eslinger

Hannah Gardner

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