CHATTANOOGA --- The Chattanooga Mocs volleyball team is set to head to Springfield, Mo., for the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational hosted by Missouri State and will face a trio of stiff competition on Thursday through Saturday.
 
Chattanooga is coming off a Scenic City Showdown title after going 2-1 and winning the tie-breaker after three teams tied in overall records.
 
The Mocs, who are 7-4 on the season, will face tournament-hosts Missouri State, Big Ten member Illinois and Washington State of the Pac-12. All three opponents received votes in the most recent AVCA Coaches Poll, with Illinois and Washington State both receiving 25 votes while Missouri State pulled in 16. Both Missouri State and Washington State appeared in the 2016 NCAA Tournament as at-large selections with the Cougars advancing to the Round of 32.
 
"I like the way our fourth weekend shaped up and that was by design, to have our toughest competition of the preseason right before conference play so we can know where we are and what we have to continue to work on," said head coach Travis Filar.
 
UTC hasn't won a match against the powerful conferences' of the Missouri Valley, Big Ten and Pac-12 in program history (0-14), but the Mocs are confident in their ability to be among the nation's top teams.
 
"This weekend will give us an awesome opportunity, one in which we are grateful for, to compete against great programs who are all receiving top 25 votes and will be in the mix for NCAA Tournament at-large bids," added Filar.
 
"I know we will come out each match with great fight and a mindset to focus on competing the right way consistently, and because of that, this will be a great weekend leading into conference play, in addition to getting a chance to take our senior captain, Maddie Marshall, back to her hometown of Springfield."
 
The Mocs will face Missouri State on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. The match will be broadcasted LIVE on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN App. UTC and Illinois meet on Friday at 4:00 p.m. ET while the concluding match against Washington State is slated for Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET. For tickets, game day links and more, check out the schedule page.
 
Previewing the Mocs
On the offensive side, Sarah Root was named the Scenic City Showdown's Most Outstanding Player over the weekend after totaling 34 kills on a .386 attacking percentage while adding 12.0 blocks. She registered a career-high 16 kills at a .393 clip against Georgia State and totaled eight kills at a .500 percentage against Jackson State.
 
Ally Ford ranks 24^th in NCAA DI and second in the Southern Conference with 156 total kills. Lauren Greenspoon ranks 31^st in the nation with 388 total assists and 46^th with a 10.78 per set average. Those numbers are good for first and second-best in the Southern Conference, respectively.
 
Defensively, true freshman Megan Kaufman has been stellar. Kaufman ranks second in the NCAA with 247 total digs, first among freshmen, and is fourth in the country with a 6.33 digs per set average.

Full opponent previews, match times and coverage information can be found below.

Scouting – Missouri State (6-3, 0-0 MVC) (RV)
Match Time: Thursday, 8:00 p.m. ET
Watch Live: ESPN3 / WatchESPN App
Live Stats: Link
 
Of the Bears nine matches so far this season, three have been against teams in the AVCA Coaches Poll Top 25. Missouri State went 1-2 in those matches by defeating No. 20 Ohio State on the road, 3-1, and falling to the likes of No. 8 Kansas (1-3) and No. 9 Washington (1-3). MSU went 26-9 a season ago including a 16-2 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), notching an at-large NCAA Tournament berth, their 11^th appearance in program history.
 
Missouri State is led by three-time All-American Lily Johnson who has totaled 151 kills on a 4.08 per set average this season while attacking at a .284 percentage. Johnson is closing in on 2,000 career kills at MSU on .223 clip in over 5,300 total attacks. She has three 20-kill matches so far this season including 29 in a win over Appalachian State.
 
Scouting – Illinois (6-2, 0-0 Big Ten) (RV)
Match Time: Friday, 4:30 p.m.
Live Stats: Link

Illinois enters the tournament with a 6-2 record, falling in their last two matches to No. 4 Stanford (0-3) and Colorado (2-3) at the Big Ten / Pac-12 Challenge in Champaign, Ill. The Fighting Illini have only surrendered one set in their six wins, picking up wins over Gonzaga, Montana State, Air Force, Kent State, No. 24 Western Kentucky and Louisville.
 
Jacqueline Quade paces Illinois with 103 kills on a .314 percentage while Ali Bastianelli and Beth Prince follow with 86 and 83 kills, respectively. Bastianelli is attacking at a .531 percentage on 143 total attacks, the second-best mark in the NCAA. She leads the entire country with a 2.00 blocks per set average, totaling 54.0 blocks in just 27 sets.
 
Scouting – Washington State (8-1, 0-0 Pac-12) (RV)
Match Time: Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET
Live Stats: Link

Washington State is on a current five-match win streak after suffering their lone loss of the season to Baylor (2-3) on August 31. During the win streak, the Cougars haven't dropped a set and have defeated Fairfield (2x), New Hampshire, Quinnipiac and College of Charleston.
 
Jocelyn Urias leads Washingston State on defense with 55.0 total blocks on a 1.77 per set average. She is tied for third in the NCAA with her blocks per set average while ranking in a tie for tenth in total blocks. As a team, Washington State leads the country in blocks by averaging 3.47 per set and have out-blocked opponents this season 107.5 to 41.5.