Saturday, September 19
Kansas City, Mo.
2:00 p.m.
Missouri State University
9-3,0-0CUSA
2
vs
3
Saint Louis
5-6,0-0Atlantic 10
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Louis | 16 | 25 | 25 | 20 | 15 | 3 |
| Missouri St. | 25 | 22 | 14 | 25 | 13 | 2 |
Bears’ Streak Ends with 3-2 Loss to Saint Louis
September 19, 2026 | Volleyball
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Missouri State's longest winning streak since 2017 came to an end Saturday afternoon with a 3-2 loss to Saint Louis in the final match of the Missouri Challenge inside the Swinney Center.
The Billikens (5-6) ended the Bears' eight-match win streak by set scores of 16-25, 25-22, 25-14, 20-25, 15-13. Despite the loss, Mo State enters Friday's Conference USA opener against FIU with a 9-3 record, tying four other seasons for the program's highest win total entering league play since 1990.
Saint Louis used a 7-0 run that included four blocks to take a 13-9 lead in the final set and held off the Bears, who twice closed within a point but could not pull even.
Riley Ourth served three aces in a 9-0 run in the first set to guide the Bears to a 17-7 lead, tying career highs with four aces and 14 digs in the contest.
SLU hit a combined .458 across sets two and three to take the 2-1 lead in the match, and Rilynn Finley connected on nine kills in the fourth to force a deciding set. Finley hit .395 with 20 kills in the match, reaching that mark for the fourth time in her career.
Lexi Weinberg and Hannah Gardner finished with 11 kills each for Mo State, and Brooke Eslinger had a team-high 17 digs. The Billikens tallied 17 blocks and hit .285 compared to .222 for the Bears.
The Bears return home to open Conference USA play Sept. 25 and 26 against FIU. Match times are 6 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday, with a celebration of Hammons Student Center's 50th birthday scheduled for the weekend. Tickets for home games can be purchased here, and Missouri State students are admitted free of charge.
The Billikens (5-6) ended the Bears' eight-match win streak by set scores of 16-25, 25-22, 25-14, 20-25, 15-13. Despite the loss, Mo State enters Friday's Conference USA opener against FIU with a 9-3 record, tying four other seasons for the program's highest win total entering league play since 1990.
Saint Louis used a 7-0 run that included four blocks to take a 13-9 lead in the final set and held off the Bears, who twice closed within a point but could not pull even.
Riley Ourth served three aces in a 9-0 run in the first set to guide the Bears to a 17-7 lead, tying career highs with four aces and 14 digs in the contest.
SLU hit a combined .458 across sets two and three to take the 2-1 lead in the match, and Rilynn Finley connected on nine kills in the fourth to force a deciding set. Finley hit .395 with 20 kills in the match, reaching that mark for the fourth time in her career.
Lexi Weinberg and Hannah Gardner finished with 11 kills each for Mo State, and Brooke Eslinger had a team-high 17 digs. The Billikens tallied 17 blocks and hit .285 compared to .222 for the Bears.
The Bears return home to open Conference USA play Sept. 25 and 26 against FIU. Match times are 6 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday, with a celebration of Hammons Student Center's 50th birthday scheduled for the weekend. Tickets for home games can be purchased here, and Missouri State students are admitted free of charge.
#GoBears
Players Mentioned
Defensive Specialist
/ Volleyball
Outside Hitter
/ Volleyball
Setter/Opposite
/ Volleyball
Defensive Specialist
/ Volleyball
Opposite
/ VolleyballTeam Stats
SLU
MOST
Kills
61
62
Errors
18
27
Attempts
151
158
Hitting %
.285
.222
Points
82.0
80.0
Assists
55
56
Aces
4
9
Blocks
17
9
Game Leaders
Kills
20
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
11
Aces
2
Blocks
3
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Monday, September 21
Sunday, September 20
Sunday, September 20
Friday, September 18
