Volleyball Returns to Curb For First Conference Matches

Belmont (4-9, 0-0 MVC) vs. Missouri State (3-9, 0-0 MVC) 

Friday, September 23 | 6pm

ESPN3 | Live Stats | Match Notes

Belmont vs. Southern Illinois (7-5, 0-0 MVC)

Saturday, September 24 | 5pm

ESPN3 | Live Stats

Curb Event Center | Nashville, Tennessee 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Belmont University volleyball team returns to the Curb Event Center this weekend for the first two Missouri Valley Conference matches in program history. 

The Bruins, who have not competed at home since facing Lipscomb on August 30, start conference play in the MVC with four of their first five contests in the Music City. 

Belmont opens against Missouri State on Friday at 6 p.m. before welcoming Southern Illinois to town on Saturday night at 5 p.m. 

Friday night's promotions include "Flashback Friday (1980s) and a "Blue Out" with fans encouraged to wear blue. Saturday evening will feature a "50th Anniversary of Title IX Celebration" with the first 100 fans in attendance receiving t-shirts. 

Both matches will be streamed on ESPN3, with Noah Syverson and Camden Morris on the call. Live stats will be available on BelmontBruins.com, and in-game updates will be posted to Twitter by @BelmontVB. 

What's Bruin 

• Belmont enters conference play having won three of their last four matches 

• The Bruins went 2-1 at the Tiger Invitational last weekend at Tennessee State, falling to the host Tigers before rebounding with 3-1 wins over Bethune-Cookman and Alcorn State 

• Laura Shoopman is currently 11th in NCAA Division I in total kills (202), and leads the Missouri Valley Conference 

• The junior outside hitter has five matches with at least 20 kills this season, the first Bruin to accomplish that feat since Arianna Person in 2016, and was named to the All-Tournament team at each of the last three non-conference tournaments the Bruins participated in 

• Last Friday against Bethune-Cookman, Shoopman tallied 27 kills, the second-most kills in a four-set match in program history 

• Junior middle blocker Kristen Clemons ranks sixth in the MVC in hitting percentage (.318) and sixth in blocks (42) 

• Peyton O'Brien finished with 47 assists against Grambling State on Sept. 10 and 46 assists against Bethune-Cookman on Sept. 16, the sophomore setter's two highest totals of her career 

• Ally Peterson is tied for third in the conference in service aces (19), after the junior picked up a career-high six aces last Friday against Alcorn State 

• Belmont edged out Bethune-Cookman, 38-36, in a wild first set last Friday at the Tiger Invitational 

• The Missouri Valley Conference currently has four teams in the top 100 in RPI (Valparaiso, Illinois State, Northern Iowa, and UIC) 

• Last season, Belmont went 7-5 at home on the way to making their first appearance at the OVC Tournament since 2017 

• The Bruins are 2-1 this season when out-blocking their opponent 

• Belmont is fourth in the MVC in service aces per set (1.57) and sixth in blocks (81) 

• Five different freshmen have appeared in a match this season for Belmont 

About the Bears 

• Missouri State is the 9th-winningest volleyball program in NCAA Division I history, with 1,252 victories all-time, and has appeared in the NCAA Tournament 12 times, most recently in 2016 

• The Bears played a challenging non-conference schedule, picking up a 3-2 win over Villanova on Sept. 9 and taking a set off both Iowa State and No. 25 Illinois. The Bears also faced Missouri, St. Louis, and Dayton 

• Missouri State was picked to finish 7th in the MVC Preseason Coaches' Poll 

• Sophomore middle blocker Maddy Bushnell set an Missouri State freshman record and led the MVC with a .343 attack percentage last season. Her efficiency ranked sixth overall for a season at MSU 

• Each Missouri State opponent has had no fewer than 7.0 total blocks in each match this season 

About the Salukis 

• The Salukis are out to a 7-5 start with impressive wins over Southeast Missouri State and Louisiana Tech 

• Southern Illinois has played two common opponents with Belmont, and come away with a 3-0 win over UT Martin and a 3-1 loss to Grambling State 

• Southern Illinois was picked 12th in the MVC Preseason Coaches' Poll after going winless in conference play in 2021 

• Junior outside hitter Tatum Tornatta leads the Salukis with 156.0 points and has finished with double-digit kills in eight of 12 matches this season 

• Freshman libero Claudia Bobb has tallied 39 digs over her last two matches against SEMO and Bellarmine

Series History 

• Belmont and Missouri State have met twice, with the Bears taking both matchups. The Bruins and Bears first clashed in 2000 and later met in 2006—Missouri State swept both contests 

• Belmont and Southern Illinois have played once, in 2006 in Carbondale, Ill., with the Bruins winning, 3-0 

Follow Belmont volleyball on social media - @BelmontVB on Twitter and @belmontvball on Instagram - for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs via the official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.                 

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