SPRINGFIELD – The Missouri State beach volleyball team started its day with a 5-0 shutout of Ottawa before falling in the Bear Challenge finale to Central Arkansas 3-2 on Friday.
In the morning dual against Ottawa, Missouri State (6-3) got on the board early with a win in the No. 5 match as Brooke Plessner and Gala Galabova made quick work of the Braves Elisa Haug and Allie Bauer (21-12, 21-16).
The Bears continued their success in the No. 4 position as Tory Penick and Pamela Jaime dominated Dennisa Dafay and Jessica Gibson of Ottawa (21-5, 21-8). MSU clinched the dual in the No. 3 spot as Parker McAllen and Kylee Davis picked up their second-straight sweep of the Braves' Stefanie Mitchell and Courtney Collins, 21-6, 21-18.
In the No. 2 match Chloe Tome and Grace Cook swept Ottawa's Taylor Mobley and Adrianna Skipper, 21-9, 22-20. With the win, Tome and Cook advanced to 7-0 on the season and tied a program record for the most consecutive wins in a single flight.
Missouri State completed its morning with Chloe Filipski and Tylar Garrett defeating Ting Sesa and Hannah Murray of Ottawa in three sets (16-21, 21-16, 15-11).
"We came out pretty strong this morning," MSU Head Coach Russ Friedland said. "It is tough to play a team four times and for us to come out on top all four times is huge. I am proud of our team from top to bottom for taking care of business out of the gate."
Central Arkansas (11-8) raced out to a 1-0 lead in the nightcap as Shannon Stone and Bria Garmon swept Plessner and Galabova (21-14, 21-16) in the No. 5 match. The visitors then extended their lead in the No. 3 spot as Kelsie Sager and McKenna Schmitt defeated McAllen and Davis, 21-16, 21-13.
Missouri State then answered back in the No. 4 match as Jaime and Penick swept UCA's Kayla Cook and Julia Oravec, 21-18, 22-20. The Bears tied things up in the No. 1 spot as Filipski and Garrett won an exciting three-set match over the visiting Alyson Brinkley and Colene Hamilton (21-19, 22-24, 15-11).
In the decisive No. 2 match Central Arkansas clinched the dual as Faith Hasness and Evelyn Griffith defeated Chloe Tome and Grace Cook in a hard-fought three sets, 21-15, 20-22, 15-13.
"We had great wins for our No. 1's and No. 4's," Friedland reflected. "The story was the same as our other losses this year, too many errors. If we want to start winning tight duals, we have to play lower error and we are just not doing that when the set or match is on the line. That is something we will discuss and work on going into next week's matches and leading into the conference tournament in a month."
MSU finished the Bear Challenge with a 2-2 record in its first home tournament since 2019.
"I want to thank all of our support staff, workers and fans for coming out to support us this spring on the sand," Friedland said. "It is a huge morale boost to see family, friends and Bear fans and it does not go unnoticed, thank you."
The Bears will be back in action April 2-3 at the Arizona Invitational in Tucson, Ariz. The Bears will be competing against the likes of Arizona, Colorado-Mesa, Pepperdine and UC Davis.
Results
MSU 5, Ottawa 0
No. 1 Tylar Garrett / Chloe Filipski (MSU) def. Tina Sesa / Hannah Murray (Ottawa) 16-21, 21-16, 15-11
No. 2 Chloe Tome / Grace Cook (MSU) def. Taylor Mobley / Adrianna Skipper (Ottawa) 21-9, 22-20
No. 3 Parker McAllen / Kylee Davis (MSU) def. Kourtney Collins / Stefanie Mitchell (Ottawa) 21-6, 21-18
No. 4 Tory Penick / Pamela Jaime (MSU) def. Jessica Gibson / Dennisa Dafay (Ottawa) 21-5, 21-8
No. 5 Brooke Plessner / Gala Galabova (MSU) def. Allie Bauer / Elisa Haug (Ottawa) 21-12, 21-16
Order of Finish
5, 4, 3*, 2, 1
*Clinched Match Point
Central Arkansas 3, MSU 2
No. 1 Tylar Garrett / Chloe Filipski (MSU) def Alyson Brinkley / Colene Hamilton (UCA) 21-19, 22-24, 15-11
No. 2 Faith Hasness / Evelyn Griffith (UCA) def. Chloe Tome / Grace Cook (MSU) 21-15, 20-22, 15-13
No. 3 Kelsie Sager / Makenna Schmitt (UCA) def. Parker McAllen / Kylee Davis (MSU) 21-18, 21-13
No. 4 Tory Penick / Pamela Jaime (MSU) def. Kayla Cook / Julia Oravec (UCA) 21-16, 22-20
No. 5 Shannon Stone / Bria Garmon (UCA) def. Brooke Plessner / Gala Galabova (MSU) 21-14, 21-16
Order of Finish
5, 3, 4, 1, 2*
*Clinched Match Point
