Springfield Standard

Missouri State University's volleyball team will host Western Kentucky University (WKU) this weekend for its first Conference USA (CUSA) home matches. The games are scheduled for Friday, October 3 at 6 p.m. and Saturday, October 4 at 1 p.m., both taking place at Hammons Student Center in Springfield, Missouri.

The Bears enter the weekend with a record of 5-8 overall and 0-2 in conference play, while WKU holds an 11-4 overall record and is undefeated in CUSA matches so far this season. Both teams are led by experienced coaches: "WKU's Travis Hudson (3rd - 791) and MSU's Steven McRoberts (9th - 662) both rank among the top 10 active Division I coaches in career wins."

In their all-time series, the Hilltoppers lead the Bears two games to one. WKU previously swept Missouri State during its only trip to Springfield in 2014. Missouri State claimed a win in Bowling Green the following year, while WKU secured another victory in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2018.

This season marks Missouri State’s entry into Conference USA after spending over three decades competing in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). During their time in the MVC, the Bears achieved a .652 winning percentage.

Missouri State features a young roster this year with seven freshmen and six sophomores among its eighteen players. All seven Missouri natives on the squad come from within seventy-five miles of campus.

Freshmen have played a significant role for the Bears this season, accounting for nearly half of the team's kills. Peyton McKee has recorded 121 kills with an average of nearly three per set and was named CUSA Freshman of the Week on September 8. Hannah Gardner has contributed with kills, assists, and digs; she became "the first freshman in school history with a triple-double (13 kills, 22 assists, 10 digs) on Sept. 5 versus UTSA."

Defensively, Missouri State ranks second in CUSA and forty-fourth nationally with an average of over two-and-a-half blocks per set. Grace Smith and Lizanyela Lopez are among league leaders individually for blocks per set.

The team also maintains strong defensive statistics historically: "MSU has ranked in the top 32 nationally in total digs in four of the last five seasons," including finishing fourth nationally last year.

Serving remains another area of strength under head coach Steven McRoberts; since he took over six seasons ago, MSU has consistently posted some of its highest ace averages since scoring rules changed.

Coach McRoberts is currently ninth among active Division I coaches for career victories across his twenty-nine years as a head coach. He brings prior experience from Conference USA as well: "As Tulsa's head coach from 2011-13, McRoberts won two regular season titles, one tournament championship and the 2011 CUSA Coach of the Year award."

Additionally, first-year assistant coach Lori Endicott-Vandersnick brings Olympic experience to MSU’s staff—she helped Team USA win bronze at Barcelona’s Olympics and was recognized as best setter at those Games.