COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- The Missouri State volleyball team opened the Texas A&M Invitational Thursday afternoon with a 3-0 (25-8, 25-13, 25-12) sweep of Nicholls State, using 10 blocks to help hold the Colonels to a negative attack efficiency while getting a pair of superlative performances from its talented freshman class.

Freshman Chloe Rear hit .545 with six kills, 22 assists, eight digs and six blocks as the first Bear to reach a minimum of six in each category since MSU assistant Sara Thomas-Dietrich on Oct. 19, 2007 versus Illinois State. Additionally, Rear led the Bears in both kills and assists for the second time this season, a feat not accomplished prior to this year since Kim Flieg did it against Murray State on Dec. 4, 1992.

Classmate Makina Wratten, who teamed with Rear to block the final two points of the match, finished with a season-high eight stuffs, those most for an MSU freshman since Kelley Michnowicz had eight against Bradley on Nov. 15, 2008.

The Bears (4-4) scored in a variety of ways for a big win in the first, finishing with 12 kills, three aces and four blocks. Daniele Messa began the match with consecutive aces and MSU never trailed in the set, and Wratten had three of Missouri State's four blocks to help the Bears hold the Colonels to a negative hitting percentage.

MSU built a double-digit lead as early as 14-4 in the second set, holding the Colonels (2-6) below a .000 attack efficiency again in the 12-point win.

The Bears found themselves down early in the third before a kill by Rear gave MSU the lead for good at 8-7. Missouri State used a 7-0 run with Leah Vokolek at the service line to widen the gap to 19-10 and cruised to the win.

Fifteen MSU players appeared in the contest, and the Bears hit .329 as a team compared to -.051 for the Colonels with leads of 37-17 in kills, 6-0 in aces, 48-38 in digs and 10-3 in blocks. Nicholls' 17 kills represented the fewest for an MSU opponent since 2013.

Senior Ashley Ophoven joined Rear and Wratten in the team lead with six kills, and Emily Butters had 14 digs.

MSU is in action twice Friday, at 1 p.m. versus Pepperdine and 7 p.m. against Texas A&M.