SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State hit .351 and had five different players with eight or nine kills Saturday afternoon on the way to a 3-0 (25-10, 25-16, 25-12) victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff to conclude the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational at Hammons Student Center.
The Bears (4-2) hit a blistering .690 in the first set and did not commit an error until set point, piling up 21 kills on 29 swings. The team’s final .351 efficiency is the second-highest in three-plus seasons under head coach Steven McRoberts.
Missouri State closed the second set on a 13-3 run after trailing 13-12, then rattled off a 12-0 run with Teagan Polcovich at the service line in the third set for a 17-4 advantage.
Polcovich, who was joined by Deja Bickers as MSU representatives on the all-tournament team, tallied 11 digs in the match to finish the weekend with 999 in her career.
Bickers averaged 3.46 kills and 2.15 digs per set for the weekend with a team-high five aces, and went for eight kills, five digs and two blocks in Saturday’s contest.
Azyah Green hit .500 with nine kills, Breanah Rives had nine kills, and Maddy Bushnell and Neele’ge’ Sims finished with eight apiece. Morgan Sprague had 15 assists and 11 digs for the double-double.
With two blocks in the match, Green also moved to sixth in school history with 487 in her career.
The Bears head to Iowa next weekend for matches with Grand Canyon, Iowa and Central Michigan from Sept. 8-10 at the Hawkeye Invitational.
