Springfield Standard

Missouri State University's volleyball team is set to begin its first season in Conference USA, opening with a two-match series against Florida International University (FIU) in Miami. The matches are scheduled for Friday, September 26 at 5 p.m. Central Time and Saturday, September 27 at 11 a.m. Central Time, both taking place at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center.

This weekend marks the Bears' debut in Conference USA after spending 33 seasons in the Missouri Valley Conference. During their time in the MVC, Missouri State achieved a .652 winning percentage.

The Bears have a young squad this year, with seven freshmen and six sophomores among their 18 players. All seven Missouri natives on the roster are from within 75 miles of the MSU campus.

Freshmen have played a significant role so far this season, contributing to half of the team's kills. Peyton McKee leads with 113 kills and an average of 3.14 per set; she also earned CUSA Freshman of the Week honors on September 8. Hannah Gardner has recorded 66 kills and 199 assists and became the first freshman in school history to achieve a triple-double—13 kills, 22 assists, and 10 digs—in a match against UTSA on September 5.

Missouri State ranks second in Conference USA and is placed 64th nationally with an average of 2.45 blocks per set. Grace Smith leads the league individually with an average of 1.33 blocks per set, while Lizanyela Lopez is sixth at 1.14 blocks per set; both players have recorded matches with double-digit blocks this season.

Defensively, Missouri State has been strong in recent years, ranking among the top programs nationally for total digs in four of the last five seasons—including finishes as high as fourth nationwide in 2024—and currently leads Conference USA with an average of 15.42 digs per set.

Service aces have also been a consistent part of Missouri State's game under head coach Steven McRoberts; over each of his five previous seasons, the team has averaged at least 1.24 aces per set since adopting rally scoring to twenty-five points.

Head coach Steven McRoberts enters his sixth year leading Missouri State and his twenty-ninth overall as a collegiate head coach, accumulating a total of 662 victories—a figure that places him ninth among active Division I coaches. McRoberts previously coached at Tulsa from 2011-13 where he went "44-6 in the league with two regular season titles, one tournament championship, and one CUSA Coach of the Year award (2011) while serving as head coach at Tulsa from 2011-13."

First-year assistant coach Lori Endicott-Vandersnick brings international experience to Missouri State's staff: "Lori Endicott-Vandersnick helped Team USA to a bronze medal in volleyball at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and was named the best setter at the '92 Games."

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