SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State hit .438 as a team – the seventh-best efficiency in program history – Saturday evening at Hammons Student Center in a 25-17, 25-20, 25-17 sweep of visiting Belmont.
 
The Bears eclipsed the .400 mark for the first time in nine years with their best hitting percentage overall since posting a .456 mark on Sept. 12, 2008, against Fort Wayne.
 
Freshman Rilynn Finley hit .538 with 17 kills, classmate Aniya Joseph hit .409 with 12 winners, and MoState (9-14, 3-8 Missouri Valley Conference) piled up 47 total kills on 89 swings with just eight errors.
 
On top of that, the Bears served nine aces against the Bruins (8-15, 3-8) in their most dominant performance of the season.
 
The Bears took an 11-6 lead when a over pass from Kate Owen turned into a kill in the opening period and led by at least three points the rest of the way as Finley landed seven kills on eight swings and the team hit .423.
 
It was Belmont's turn for an 11-6 lead in the second, but the Bears tied it at 15 on a Joseph kill, Neele'ge Sims served consecutive aces to make it 18-16, and MSU put it away with a 5-0 run to 23-18. Finley and Joseph each tallied five kills in the frame.
 
MoState hit a blistering .536 in the third set with 18 kills and two errors in 31 attempts. Finley and Joseph each added five more kills while Reagan Baade served the first two aces of her career, including the final point of the contest.
 
Kate Owen led MSU with 11 digs and the Bears led 43-30 in that category in a match without many long rallies. Morgan Sprague directed the offense with 36 assists.
 
Missouri State stays home next weekend to host Valparaiso at 6 p.m. Friday and UIC at 5 p.m. Saturday.