Bears and Bearkats Meet This Weekend at Hammons Student Center

Missouri State vs. Sam Houston
Location	Springfield, Mo.
Site	Hammons Student Center
Match 1	Friday, Oct. 9, 6 p.m. ESPN+ \| Live Stats \| Tickets Pink Out
Match 2	Saturday, Oct. 10, 1 p.m. ESPN+ \| Live Stats \| Tickets Okto-BEAR-Fest \| Stay & Serve
Program	Roster Card
Missouri State	Game Notes Volleyball Home Page Media Guide Promotional Calendar
Opponent	Volleyball Home Page
Follow the Bears	Twitter \| Instagram \| Facebook #GoBears \| #NoStateLikeMoState
Bears Mobile App	App Store (Apple Devices) Google Play Store (Android Devices)

Storylines for the Sam Houston Series
1) Missouri State (11-5, 2-2) is back home this weekend for two matches against Sam Houston (12-5, 3-1), with first serves scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday.
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 SHSU's Brenda Gray in third with 799 victories.

2) The Bears are 3-0 against Sam Houston with all three meetings occurring in the 1980s. Mo State won the only meeting in Springfield, 3-0 on Oct. 1, 1988.

3) Sophomore and Preseason all-CUSA selection Hannah Gardner is one of two Division I players this season with at least 150 kills, 290 assists and 140 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 1,080. She won CUSA Defensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 7 and ranks third in CUSA with 4.08 digs per set this season.

5) The Bears rank among CUSA leaders in kills per set (2nd - 13.53), assists per set (2nd - 12.51) and hitting percentage (4th - .241). Mo State has hit .200 or better in 14 of 16 matches, and the current .241 efficiency is on pace for the highest since a .247 mark 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 26th nationally with 15.65 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, 879), Western Kentucky (Travis Hudson, 2nd, 817) and Sam Houston (Brenda Gray, 3rd, 799). Additionally, New Mexico State (Mike Jordan, 13th, 606) 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 52-18 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.

Bears and Bearkats Meet This Weekend at Hammons Student Center

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Players Mentioned

Brooke Eslinger

Hannah Gardner

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