SPRINGFIELD – The Missouri State beach volleyball team travels to Arizona this week (March 10-12), where the Beach Bears will play five duals in three days against the likes of Arizona Christian, Abilene Christian, Texas A&M Kingsville and No. 7 Grand Canyon.

On Thursday, the Bears will take on Arizona Christian at 3 p.m. (MT) and Abilene Christian at 4 p.m. (MT) before facing Texas A&M Kingsville on Friday at 2:30 p.m. (MT). Saturday MSU will wrap things up with duals against Abilene Christian at 9:30 a.m. (MT) and Grand Canyon at 11:30 a.m. (MT).

Battle on the Bay Recap 
The Bears went 2-2 last weekend with wins over St. Leo (3-2) and Eckerd College (3-2) on March 4, before falling to Charleston (4-1) and Tampa (4-1) on March 5. Grace Cook and Chloe Tome won all four of their matches in the No. 2 flight to increase their winning streak to a school-record 11 matches, dating back to April 3 of last season. The pair is now 7-0 on the season and 19-3 in their careers. Parker McAllen and Olivia Rattler also have been solid this season as the duo has four wins while competing in the No. 5 position.

The Opponents
Arizona Christian is 4-8 this season with wins over Life Pacific, Hope International, Benedictine University and South Mountain Community College. The Firestorm is led by Brianna Boeckman and Aubri Green, who are 7-5 this season in the No. 1 and 2 flights.

Abilene Christian has yet to play a dual this season. The Wildcats did not participate last season due to COVID-19 and went 3-9 in 2020.

Texas A&M-Kingsville holds a 4-5 record in 2022 with wins over Mary Hardin Baylor, Colorado Mesa, Missouri Baptist, and Stephen F. Austin. Macey Satterwhite and Tenley Houser highlight the Javelinas as the duo went 12-5 in the No. 3 flight in 2021 and have five wins this season.

Grand Canyon is 5-2 on the season and came in at No. 7 in the latest AVCA poll. The Lopes have victories over three nationally ranked opponents in No. 12 Arizona, No. 8 Stanford and No. 11 Cal Poly. While also defeating Arizona State and Boise State.

Hand at the Helm
Gretchen Hand was named the third head coach in Missouri State Beach Volleyball on July 2, 2021, by Athletic Director Kyle Moats. Hand comes to Missouri State after spending the last two-and-a-half years as director of volleyball at Webber International University in Babson Park, Fla. During her tenure with the Warriors, she worked with the men's and women's indoor programs in addition to the beach team and contributed to the beach team's conference title and NAIA national fourth-place finish in 2019. As a player, Hand competed professionally from 2001-2015. She had main-draw finishes in the AVP (American Volleyball Professionals), the NVL (National Volleyball League), Corona Wide Open, the EVP (Extreme Volleyball Professionals) and the FIVB, competing across the United States, Brazil, Colombia, Ireland and Thailand.

On Jan. 2, 2022, Hand announced the addition of assistant coach Carol Welcher, who comes to Missouri State with nearly 20 years of coaching and playing experience at the national, collegiate, club, and high school levels. She was the assistant coach for UCSD's women's volleyball team for the 2016-2017 season. Before UCSD, Welcher was also the head coach and director of the girl's varsity volleyball program at Mater Dei Catholic High School in Chula Vista and coached for La Jolla Volleyball Club and Beach Dig, both located in San Diego. Welcher competed in four years of professional indoor volleyball as a player in Finland, France, Germany, and Switzerland. She also spent seven years on the AVP's beach tour.

Bears in the CCSA
Missouri State officially joined the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association on Dec. 13, 2019. The Bears will vie for a title in the six-team league at the CCSA Tournament on April 28 and 30.
 
Up Next
The Bears return to Springfield March 18 when they will square off against Missouri Baptist and Garden City Community College.