The Missouri State volleyball team cruised through two games and used a late rally to pull away in the third game in a 30-16, 30-18, 30-24 Missouri Valley Conference victory over Bradley Saturday night in Springfield.

The Bears improved to 11-2 overall and 2-0 in the league with their sixth straight victory this season and 14th in a row against Bradley. The Braves dropped to 1-11 and 0-2 in MVC play.

Missouri State took control early in game one, jumping out to a 17-3 lead and hitting .389 with 17 kills and three attack errors in the win. Sara Thomas had four kills on five attempts and Katelyn Panzau was perfect on three swings in the first game, while Cara Hackmann and Addie Foley chipped in three kills apiece in a balanced offensive effort.

The second game was much the same, with the Bears quickly leading 13-3 and hitting .293. Thomas and Jamie Adams had five kills each, and Panzau dished out 14 of her 37 assists for the match.

The outcome of game three remained in doubt until the Bears went on a 5-0 run to turn an 18-18 tie into a 23-18 lead. The Braves cut the lead to two points at 23-21, but got no closer than that, and Foley provided four kills in the final moments to secure the win. Junior Terri Del Conte had three service aces in the final game and five for the match, and the Bears served a season-high 14 aces in three games.

The Bears held the Bradley to -.023 hitting in game three and .095 for the match, while hitting at a .230 clip themselves.

Thomas finished the match with 11 kills and 14 digs for her third double-double of the season. Foley and Adams each had nine kills, and Hackmann ended up with eight to go with a team-high 17 digs. Panzau added 10 digs to her assist total for a double-double of her own.

Missouri State begins the road portion of the Valley schedule Friday, Sept. 21, at 7 p.m. against Indiana State in Terre Haute.