Springfield Standard

Missouri State's volleyball team defeated Central Arkansas 3-1 in an exhibition match at Hammons Student Center on Saturday. The match was the team's only exhibition before the regular season begins.

All 18 players on the Bears' roster participated, with 12 recording at least one kill during the four-set contest. Missouri State won by set scores of 25-23, 19-25, 25-21, and 29-27.

"It was nice to get everybody some playing time, and everybody who went in did a nice job for us," said sixth-year head coach Steven McRoberts. "It's fun to see that we have a lot of depth at this point that can come in off the bench or start and contribute."

Rilynn Finley led Missouri State with 14 kills. Kya Johnson contributed 13 digs, while freshman Chloe Judd added six blocks. The Bears secured victory by coming back from a deficit late in the fourth set.

"We got put in some pressure situations and got to see how players reacted, and saw a lot of things that we can evaluate ahead of the season opener against Oklahoma," McRoberts added. "UCA is a well-coached and has a lot of great athletes, so it was a fun match to begin the season with."

Missouri State opens its regular season August 29 and 30 at the Wildcat Classic hosted by Abilene Christian University, where they will play Oklahoma, Abilene Christian, and Incarnate Word. Following this tournament, Missouri State will play five straight home matches including hosting the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational from September 4 to September 6 and two matches against Purdue Fort Wayne on September 11 and 12.

The Conference USA schedule for Missouri State includes eight weekends of competition featuring two-game series. The team will make its league debut on September 26 and 27 at Florida International University (FIU) before hosting Western Kentucky October 3 and 4.