Box Score

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - Wichita State advanced to the 2011 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship match for the fifth time in school history with a 3-0 win against Missouri State Friday at the McLeod Center.

The No. 3-seeded Shockers defeated the No. 2-seeded Bears, 25-16, 25-23 and 25-13 in a tournament semifinal to improve to 21-9 this season.

The Shockers combined for 16.5 team blocks in the win -- the second-most for the Shockers in a three-set match during the rally scoring era (2001-present).

Emily Adney posted a match-high 16 kills and three solo blocks. Ashley Andrade posted two solo blocks and six block assists, along with six kills. Mary Elizabeth Hooper celebrated her birthday with a double-double, including a match-high 34 assists and 15 digs. Camri Zwiesler also had 15 digs for the Shockers.

Calli Norman led the Bears (22-8) with nine kills. Carly Thomas had 28 assists and Ashley Mason had 19 digs.

The Shockers extended their season-best winning streak to seven matches. Each of Wichita State's seven wins during the stretch came in three sets.

Wichita State jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, fueled by a Zwiesler kill and her two service aces. A bad set and attack error by the Bears pushed the Shockers ahead, 10-5, in the first set. A Zwiesler kill and Hooper service ace gave the Shockers a 12-6 edge. A kill by Elizabeth Field later gave Wichita State an 18-10 lead. The Shockers claimed the first set on a kill by Andrade, which made the score, 25-16.

In the second set, Missouri State grabbed the early lead, 7-2, on a bad set followed by an attack error by the Shockers. Five-straight points by Wichita State later cut the Bears' lead to 8-7. An Andrade kill gave the Shockers a 12-11 edge. A block by Missouri State's Amber Doolittle and Olivia Brand gave the Bears a 19-18 lead. An attack error by the Bears followed with an Andrade block gave Wichita State a 21-20 advantage.  A block by Sam Sanders and Field gave the Shockers a 25-23 win.

In the third set, an Adney block and kill gave the Shockers a 3-1 lead. A kills by Sanders and two more from Adney gave Wichita State a five-point lead. Three-straight attack errors by the Shockers, allowed the Bears to cut the score to 8-7. Kills from Zwiesler and Andrade (two), as well as two consecutive blocks from the duo, gave the Shockers a 16-9 lead. An attack error by Missouri State gave the Shockers a 25-13 win.

The Shockers have played in the championship match four times previously -- in 1991, 2004, 2005 and 2009. Wichita State's lone conference championship came in 2004.

Wichita State advanced to play top-seeded, No. 12-ranked Northern Iowa, which beat No. 5-seeded Illinois State, 3-0, in a Friday semifinal. The MVC Tournament championship match will begin at 6:37 p.m. Saturday at the McLeod Center.

The championship will be telecast in Kansas on Cox channel 22 or 76. The match will also be cleared live on FOX College Sports, ESPN3 (outside the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska), DirecTV (channel 658), Dish Network (channel 449) and AT&T U-Verse (channel 693). 

- Wichita State -