Springfield Standard

Missouri State University's volleyball team secured its fourth consecutive victory on Friday evening, defeating Louisiana Tech in straight sets at Hammons Student Center. The Bears won by scores of 25-23, 25-18, and 25-10.

Missouri State, now with a 9-11 overall record and 4-5 in Conference USA, recorded a .277 hitting percentage for the match. Louisiana Tech, still searching for its first conference win at 0-9 (7-16 overall), was held to a .124 hitting efficiency.

Freshman Peyton McKee led the Bears with 11 kills, while senior Lizanyela Lopez contributed 10 kills and six blocks. The first set was closely contested, tied ten times up to 11-all, before Missouri State pulled ahead with a three-point run. McKee added two consecutive kills to give the Bears a 21-16 lead, and they held off a late surge from Louisiana Tech to win the set.

In the second set, Missouri State used a four-point run to take a 9-5 lead and maintained a comfortable margin for the rest of the set, limiting Louisiana Tech to eight kills. The third set saw Missouri State take control early with a nine-point run, finishing with a .407 hitting percentage for their most decisive set win of the season.

Additional contributions came from Rilynn Finley (7 kills), Lexi Weinberg (6 kills), and Hannah Gardner (6 kills). Defensively, Kya Johnson and Brooke Eslinger recorded 14 and 12 digs respectively. The Bears were also perfect on service receptions, going 44-for-44.

The series between Missouri State and Louisiana Tech will conclude on Saturday at 1 p.m.