Saturday, September 12
Coralville, Iowa
1:00 p.m.
Missouri State University
7-2,0-0CUSA
3
at
1
Iowa
6-3,0-0Big Ten
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri St. | 22 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 3 |
| Iowa | 25 | 19 | 21 | 24 | 1 |
Bears Stay Hot, Top Hawkeyes in Four Sets
September 12, 2026 | Volleyball
CORALVILLE, Iowa – Hannah Gardner collected her second triple-double of the season to lead Missouri State to a 3-1 come-from-behind victory at Iowa Saturday, and the Bears' sixth consecutive win earned them the Hawkeye Invitational title at Xtream Arena. Set scores in favor of Mo State were 22-25, 25-19, 25-21, 26-24.
Gardner earned tournament MVP honors, Brooke Eslinger was named the most outstanding defensive player at the event, and Chloe Judd and Hannah Redrow joined them on the all-tournament team.
Mo State improved to 7-2 overall with its longest winning streak since 2021, while the victory also marked the program's first over a Power Four opponent since beating Kansas State in 2019, and the first against a Big Ten foe since topping Ohio State in 2017.
Gardner finished with 15 kills, 17 assists and 14 digs, her second match this year reaching 14 in all three categories after no Bear had done so since 1989. The sophomore now has four triple-doubles in 37 career matches.
Rilynn Finley added 15 kills and Jenna Walters had nine on .375 hitting to pace the offense to a .295 attack efficiency. Freshman Halle Rillie served three aces and dished out 25 assists with the offense converting half of her sets into kills, while Judd contributed to six of the Bears' nine blocks.
The Hawkeyes (6-3) piled up 19 kills in the opening set for the early lead, and the Bears countered by hitting .520 in the second period with Gardner going 6-for-6 on the attack to even the match.
A Finley kill put the Bears up 7-2 in the third and the team never trailed, growing the lead to 19-12 thanks to a 4-0 run that included two Judd blocks and keeping Iowa at arm's length after that.
The Bears fell behind 13-6 in the fourth set before a furious comeback, with Eslinger serving two aces in a 5-0 run for a 15-15 tie. Mo State led 19-17 after a 4-0 run, Iowa countered with five unanswered points, and Kya Johnson aced the Hawkeyes for a 22-all tie. The score was tied twice more before a Gardner kill made it 25-24 and Iowa sent an attack wide to give Mo State the win.
The Bears are in Kansas City Sept. 17-19 for three matches against in-state foes in the Missouri Challenge. Mo State faces Kansas City at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 17, Southeast Missouri at 4 p.m. Friday and Saint Louis at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Gardner earned tournament MVP honors, Brooke Eslinger was named the most outstanding defensive player at the event, and Chloe Judd and Hannah Redrow joined them on the all-tournament team.
Mo State improved to 7-2 overall with its longest winning streak since 2021, while the victory also marked the program's first over a Power Four opponent since beating Kansas State in 2019, and the first against a Big Ten foe since topping Ohio State in 2017.
Gardner finished with 15 kills, 17 assists and 14 digs, her second match this year reaching 14 in all three categories after no Bear had done so since 1989. The sophomore now has four triple-doubles in 37 career matches.
Rilynn Finley added 15 kills and Jenna Walters had nine on .375 hitting to pace the offense to a .295 attack efficiency. Freshman Halle Rillie served three aces and dished out 25 assists with the offense converting half of her sets into kills, while Judd contributed to six of the Bears' nine blocks.
The Hawkeyes (6-3) piled up 19 kills in the opening set for the early lead, and the Bears countered by hitting .520 in the second period with Gardner going 6-for-6 on the attack to even the match.
A Finley kill put the Bears up 7-2 in the third and the team never trailed, growing the lead to 19-12 thanks to a 4-0 run that included two Judd blocks and keeping Iowa at arm's length after that.
The Bears fell behind 13-6 in the fourth set before a furious comeback, with Eslinger serving two aces in a 5-0 run for a 15-15 tie. Mo State led 19-17 after a 4-0 run, Iowa countered with five unanswered points, and Kya Johnson aced the Hawkeyes for a 22-all tie. The score was tied twice more before a Gardner kill made it 25-24 and Iowa sent an attack wide to give Mo State the win.
The Bears are in Kansas City Sept. 17-19 for three matches against in-state foes in the Missouri Challenge. Mo State faces Kansas City at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 17, Southeast Missouri at 4 p.m. Friday and Saint Louis at 11 a.m. Saturday.
#GoBears
Players Mentioned
Defensive Specialist
/ Volleyball
Outside Hitter
/ Volleyball
Setter/Opposite
/ Volleyball
Defensive Specialist
/ Volleyball
Middle Blocker
/ Volleyball
Middle Blocker
/ Volleyball
Setter
/ Volleyball
Right Side Hitter
/ VolleyballTeam Stats
MOST
Iowa
Kills
56
61
Errors
17
24
Attempts
132
146
Hitting %
.295
.253
Points
73.0
74.0
Assists
49
54
Aces
8
5
Blocks
9
8
Game Leaders
Kills
15
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
15
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Sunday, September 13
Saturday, September 12
Saturday, September 12
Saturday, September 12
