LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Behind a career-high 20 kills from sophomore Brooklyn Cink, Missouri State's volleyball team beat Little Rock in straight sets Sunday afternoon in the season opener for both clubs at the Jack Stephens Center.

The Bears won by set scores of 25-19, 27-25 and 25-20 in a victorious debut on the sideline for head coach Steven McRoberts.

"It's always nice to get that first win, especially when it's your first match on the road," said McRoberts. "We learned a lot about our team as we played through some good and bad throughout the match. A huge positive was our resilience. We were down four points in the second set, never panicked, and started to put together some nice plays to help us finish off a tight set with a win."

The first set went back and forth early until Cink's second ace put the Bears ahead 14-11. Back-to-back Azyah Green blocks made it 20-16 and MSU continued to slowly pull away until Cink's seventh kill clinched the set. Cink tallied 10 total points in the set with her two block assists factored in, and the MSU defense limited the Trojans to eight kills and eight errors.

Missouri State rallied from a 17-13 deficit to win the second period, with a block by Anderson and Green capping a 5-0 run for an 18-17 advantage. Little Rock never retook the lead despite tying the score five times and spoiling a trio of set points. Amelia Flynn kills gave MSU set points at 25-24 and 26-25 before Cink's seventh kill of the set landed for the victory.

The Bears jumped ahead 5-0 in the third set thanks to three early kills from freshman Lindsay Lahr, and Flynn added two kills and an ace in another 5-0 run to make it 14-9. MSU kept the lead at four points or more for the remainder of the set.

"This is definitely a team win," McRoberts added. "Lots of players stepped up at different times, but statistically Brooklyn stood out with 20 kills hitting almost .300. I'm looking forward to getting back in the gym this week to keep improving as a squad."

Cink hit .294 on the way to her 20 kills, adding a career-high three aces in the contest. Kennedee Anderson handed out a career-best 37 assists, and freshman Caly Otec led the way with 14 digs.

Missouri State owned a 44-36 lead in kills and .200-.158 advantage in attack efficiency, with the defense scooping 52 digs and recording five blocks. Green led the way with three stuffs, while Cink, Flynn and Lahr had two apiece. Flynn added 13 digs and Holly Luginbill equaled her career high with 11.

The Bears are off until a home contest with Central Arkansas at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3. Fans will be allowed at 35 percent of Hammons Student Center capacity, with more details to come in the week preceding the match.