Missouri State's volleyball team secured a spot in the Conference USA Tournament after defeating Middle Tennessee in straight sets on Saturday. The match, held in Murfreesboro, ended with scores of 25-17, 25-15, and 25-16.
Freshmen played a key role for the Bears, contributing 31 out of the team's total 40 kills. Peyton McKee led with nine kills, followed by Hannah Gardner and Jenna Walters with eight each, and Chloe Judd with six. Judd also recorded five blocks to lead the team defensively. Gardner served three aces during the match.
Missouri State started strong in the first set, building a 12-3 lead that included three aces and five kills from McKee. In the second set, despite Middle Tennessee taking an early advantage with a six-point run to lead 8-4, Missouri State responded by closing on a 21-7 run and registering five team blocks.
Gardner contributed significantly in the third set as well, delivering a kill and two aces during a pivotal 5-0 run that put Missouri State ahead for good. The Bears finished the final period hitting .500 without committing an error.
Overall, Missouri State limited Middle Tennessee to an attack efficiency of .086 while leading statistically in kills (40-32), aces (7-4), and blocks (9-4). Brooke Eslinger paced Missouri State with 14 digs on defense. Senior Lizanyela Lopez added four blocks to bring her season total to 122, which places her fourth all-time at Missouri State since the adoption of rally scoring in 2008.
With this win, Missouri State concludes its regular season at 11-16 overall and secures a conference record of 6-10. The Bears enter next week's Conference USA Tournament as the No. 8 seed; their opponent for the quarterfinal round will be determined following Saturday’s league results.
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