Friday, September 11
Coralville, Iowa
3:00 p.m.
Missouri State University
6-2,0-0CUSA
3
vs
0
Southern Illinois
5-4,0-0MVC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri St. | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Southern Ill. | 18 | 16 | 22 | 0 |
Volleyball Sweeps SIU for Fifth Straight Win
September 11, 2026 | Volleyball
CORALVILLE, Iowa – Missouri State extended its winning streak to five matches and improved to 6-2 overall for the first time since 2021 on Friday with a 25-18, 25-16, 25-22 sweep of Southern Illinois at the Hawkeye Invitational inside Xtream Arena.
The Bears served a season-high 10 aces and limited their former Missouri Valley Conference rival to a .117 attack efficiency, tallying six blocks and 59 digs over three sets.
SIU (5-4) jumped ahead 9-3 to begin the match before the Bears stormed back, tying at 16-16 on a Chloe Judd kill and taking the lead for good thanks to another winner from Rilynn Finley to begin a closing 11-2 run.Â
Brooke Eslinger served two of her three aces during a 7-0 run to open the second period for Mo State, and the defense took over from there with four blocks to help hold the Salukis to a negative attack efficiency in the set.
Missouri State's first lead of the third set came at 12-11 on an Eslinger ace and Jenna Walters smacked a kill for a 19-15 lead before SIU clawed back for a 22-22 tie. From there, an attack error handed the lead back to the Bears, Finley followed with a kill and Riley Ourth sealed it with a service ace.
Hannah Gardner threatened a triple-double yet again with a team-high 12 kills, 15 assists and eight digs. Finley added 11 kills, Eslinger (16) and Kya Johnson (11) reached double figures in digs, and Judd had three aces and five blocks.
The Bears close the weekend on Saturday at 1 p.m. against host Iowa. The match will stream on Big Ten Network Plus, with a special web-only $4.99 offer available at bigtenplus.com/HawkeyeInvitational.
#GoBears
The Bears served a season-high 10 aces and limited their former Missouri Valley Conference rival to a .117 attack efficiency, tallying six blocks and 59 digs over three sets.
SIU (5-4) jumped ahead 9-3 to begin the match before the Bears stormed back, tying at 16-16 on a Chloe Judd kill and taking the lead for good thanks to another winner from Rilynn Finley to begin a closing 11-2 run.Â
Brooke Eslinger served two of her three aces during a 7-0 run to open the second period for Mo State, and the defense took over from there with four blocks to help hold the Salukis to a negative attack efficiency in the set.
Missouri State's first lead of the third set came at 12-11 on an Eslinger ace and Jenna Walters smacked a kill for a 19-15 lead before SIU clawed back for a 22-22 tie. From there, an attack error handed the lead back to the Bears, Finley followed with a kill and Riley Ourth sealed it with a service ace.
Hannah Gardner threatened a triple-double yet again with a team-high 12 kills, 15 assists and eight digs. Finley added 11 kills, Eslinger (16) and Kya Johnson (11) reached double figures in digs, and Judd had three aces and five blocks.
The Bears close the weekend on Saturday at 1 p.m. against host Iowa. The match will stream on Big Ten Network Plus, with a special web-only $4.99 offer available at bigtenplus.com/HawkeyeInvitational.
#GoBears
Players Mentioned
Defensive Specialist
/ Volleyball
Outside Hitter
/ Volleyball
Setter/Opposite
/ Volleyball
Defensive Specialist
/ Volleyball
Middle Blocker
/ Volleyball
Defensive Specialist
/ Volleyball
Right Side Hitter
/ VolleyballTeam Stats
MOST
SIU
Kills
44
33
Errors
16
19
Attempts
118
120
Hitting %
.237
.117
Points
60.0
41.0
Assists
43
30
Aces
10
3
Blocks
6
5
Game Leaders
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
3
Blocks
5
Friday, September 11
Thursday, September 10
Thursday, September 10
Wednesday, September 09
