Saturday, September 26
Springfield
1:00 p.m.
Missouri State University
11-3,2-0CUSA
3
vs
0
FIU
9-6,0-2CUSA
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIU | 19 | 23 | 21 | 0 |
| Missouri St. | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Bears Sweep FIU to Move to 2-0 in CUSA Play
September 26, 2026 | Volleyball
SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State won for the 10th time in 11 matches Saturday afternoon with a sweep of visiting FIU, winning by set scores of 25-19, 25-23, 25-21 to start 2-0 in Conference USA play.
Mo State's first 2-0 league start since 2022 moved the Bears to 11-3 overall on the day that the university celebrated the 50th birthday of Hammons Student Center, where the team has won 75 percent of its 688 all-time matches in the facility.
The offense led the way with a .281 hitting percentage, the 11th straight match above the .200 mark, something not done by the Bears since a 13-match stretch from Oct. 14-Nov. 25, 2017.
The Bears hit a blistering .371 in the opening set with seven different players recording a kill, with an 8-1 run helping the home squad pull away from a 12-12 tie.
FIU (9-6, 0-2) used a 5-0 run to lead 17-15 in the second and opened the margin to 20-17 before the Bears charged back. Riley Ourth knotted the score at 20-20 with an ace, Rilynn Finley followed with a kill, and the teams alternated points until a Panther attack went wide for the MSU win. Finley and Lexi Weinberg combined for nine of Mo State's 16 kills in the set.
A 9-0 run by the Bears made it 11-5 in the third set, and the lead was 15-8 after consecutive Weinberg kills. The Panthers got as close as 19-18 but never pulled even as the Bears completed the sweep.
Finley led the offense with 12 kills on .280 hitting, and Weinberg hit .400 with nine winners. Brooke Eslinger led with 12 digs, Halle Rillie dished out 20 assists, and Chloe Judd had four blocks.
Mo State led .281-.250 in hitting percentage, 47-41 in kills, 48-45 in digs and 6-0 in service aces. Both teams had six blocks.
The Bears are on the road next week for Oct. 2 and 3 matches at preseason CUSA favorite Western Kentucky.
Mo State's first 2-0 league start since 2022 moved the Bears to 11-3 overall on the day that the university celebrated the 50th birthday of Hammons Student Center, where the team has won 75 percent of its 688 all-time matches in the facility.
The offense led the way with a .281 hitting percentage, the 11th straight match above the .200 mark, something not done by the Bears since a 13-match stretch from Oct. 14-Nov. 25, 2017.
The Bears hit a blistering .371 in the opening set with seven different players recording a kill, with an 8-1 run helping the home squad pull away from a 12-12 tie.
FIU (9-6, 0-2) used a 5-0 run to lead 17-15 in the second and opened the margin to 20-17 before the Bears charged back. Riley Ourth knotted the score at 20-20 with an ace, Rilynn Finley followed with a kill, and the teams alternated points until a Panther attack went wide for the MSU win. Finley and Lexi Weinberg combined for nine of Mo State's 16 kills in the set.
A 9-0 run by the Bears made it 11-5 in the third set, and the lead was 15-8 after consecutive Weinberg kills. The Panthers got as close as 19-18 but never pulled even as the Bears completed the sweep.
Finley led the offense with 12 kills on .280 hitting, and Weinberg hit .400 with nine winners. Brooke Eslinger led with 12 digs, Halle Rillie dished out 20 assists, and Chloe Judd had four blocks.
Mo State led .281-.250 in hitting percentage, 47-41 in kills, 48-45 in digs and 6-0 in service aces. Both teams had six blocks.
The Bears are on the road next week for Oct. 2 and 3 matches at preseason CUSA favorite Western Kentucky.
#GoBears
Players Mentioned
Defensive Specialist
/ Volleyball
Outside Hitter
/ Volleyball
Middle Blocker
/ Volleyball
Defensive Specialist
/ Volleyball
Setter
/ Volleyball
Opposite
/ VolleyballTeam Stats
FIU
MOST
Kills
41
47
Errors
13
15
Attempts
112
114
Hitting %
.250
.281
Points
47.0
59.0
Assists
39
43
Aces
0
6
Blocks
6
6
Game Leaders
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
7
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Sunday, September 27
Saturday, September 26
Saturday, September 26
Friday, September 25
