OZARK, Mo. - The Missouri State beach volleyball team took the win in both its opening day matches to kick off its first home tournament on Friday at Volleyball Beach Ozark. The Bears swept Hendrix College 5-0 with five straight-set sweeps in the morning, followed by a hard-fought victory against UT Martin, 3-2.

The Bears have started back-to-back seasons by winning its season-opening doubleheader.

"The team has been working really hard since we hit the sand in August," head coach Ashley Emery said. "There's just something different about our team this season. Every starting lineup is a new set of pairs this year. Two freshmen again in this year's lineup, Maddie Schrandt and Ally Larkin, proved why they are there."

Missouri State 5 - Hendrix College 0

Becca Bach and Manuela Niemeyer led the Bears to a hot start at Flight No. 1. Hendrix College trotted out the same No. 1 pair as it did in last season's opener against the Bears last season with Abby Collier and Kyler Greenlee. Bach played against the two in last year's match. Missouri State found the same result as last year by going on a 9-3 run to end the second set and win, 21-8, 21-15. 

Niemeyer played her first career match at flight No. 1 after earning a solid 13-8 record across the third and fourth flights last season.

Consistency was key at flight No. 2 as sophomores MacKenzie Steele and Amanda Cleary swept Hendrix's Morgan Ford and Kailey Carrico in identical sets, 21-8, 21-8, with each set running for 15 minutes.

"Amanda and MacKenzie control games with ease and I expect them to keep gaining momentum through the season," Emery said.

Flight No. 3 posed the biggest threat to the Bears as Olivia Muriel and Erin Eschleman found themselves in a 16-19 hole in the first set against juniors Eliana Oden and Mabrey Matz. However, the duo dug themselves out of the deficit to take the first set, 21-19. That run continued in the second set which saw the largest difference in the match with Muriel and Eschleman coming out on top, 21-5.

At flight No. 4, redshirt freshmen Kenzi McSpadden and freshman Allyson Larkin both showed out in their debuts by defeating juniors Avery Evans-Brooks and Liz Roy, who each played in last year's Mo State Tournament, 21-6, 21-16.

Flight No. 5 brought a mix of youth and experience with Brooke Plessner and being paired with debuting Maddie Schrandt. The two settled in as the match progressed against Isabella Eurgil and Hailey Gripka, winning 21-18, 21-10 to secure the sweep.

"We had big leadership in returning captains in Olivia Muriel, Brooke Plessner and newcomer Erin Eschleman," Emery said.

The Bears have won their last four season openers with their last three coming via a sweep.

Missouri State 3 - (RV) UT Martin 2

Bach and Niemeyer remained perfect on flight No. 1 against UT Martin, where they swept Jenna Vallée and Olivia O'Keefe, 21-17, 22-20. The pairs battled hard with the first set being tied at 12 and each side trading blows. The second set was even more competitive with the score knotted up at 19 before the Bears took the extra point needed to win.

"We've seen a lot of growth in Becca's game this year, she's been controlling the net with so much more confidence with Manuela behind her letting nothing drop on her court," Emery said.

On flight 2, Steele and Cleary took an early lead in the first set against Sydney Eckhardt and Dylan Mott. However, the Skyhawks took control to earn their first point of the match, 21-12, 21-13.

Back on flight No. 3 were Muriel and Eschleman who once again picked up speed late in sets to come out on top, 21-13, 21-19 against Dylan Sulcer and Reagan McGee. The two broke a 16-16 tie in the second set to clinch the match win for the Bears.

McSpadden and Larkin continued their success at Flight No. 4, defeating seniors Ryan Rednour and Addy Vaughn, 21-13, 21-14. Just like against Hendrix, the two young Bears took on more experienced competition and came out on top.

Flight No. 5 was the only one of the day that went to a third set. Plessner and Schrandt started in lockstep with the adjacent courts by winning the first set, 21-16. However, UTM's graduate student duo of Kayla Carrell and Haeleigh Paulino came back to take the second set, 21-18. The final set was close to the end with the Skyhawks breaking a 12-12 tie to win the match with a 15-13 final frame.

"This team is something special from 1-20 and I can't wait to watch them keep improving throughout the season," Emery said.

Missouri State will play three matches tomorrow to conclude this year's first Mo State Tournament. The Bears begin with Louisiana-Monroe at 10:00 a.m., followed by Lindenwood at 1:00 p.m. and ending with Oklahoma Wesleyan at 3:00 p.m.

Results

Missouri State 5 - Hendrix College 0 

Flight 1: Becca Bach/Manuela Niemeyer (MSU) def. Abby Collier/Kyler Greenlee (HEN): 21-8, 21-15

Flight 2: MacKenzie Steele/Amanda Cleary (MSU) def. Morgan Ford/Kailey Carrico (HEN): 21-8, 21-8

Flight 3: Olivia Muriel/Erin Eschleman (MSU) def. Eliana Oden/Mabrey Matz (HEN): 21-19, 21-5

Flight 4: Kenzi McSpadden/Allyson Larkin (MSU) def. Avery Evans-Brooks/Liz Roy (HEN): 21-6, 21-16

Flight 5: Brooke Plessner/Maddie Schrandt (MSU) def. Isabella Eurgil/Hailey Gripka (HEN): 21-18, 21-10

Order of finish: 2, 4, 1, 3, 5


Missouri State 3 - (RV) UT Martin 2

Flight 1: Becca Bach/Manuela Niemeyer (MSU) def. Jenna Vallée/Olivia O'Keefe (UTM): 21-17, 22-10

Flight 2: Sydney Eckhardt/Dylan Mott (UTM) def. MacKenzie Steele/Amanda Cleary (MSU): 21-12, 21-13

Flight 3: Olivia Muriel/Erin Eschleman (MSU) def. Dylan Sulcer/Reagan McGee (UTM): 21-13, 21-19

Flight 4: Kenzi McSpadden/Allyson Larkin (MSU) def. Ryan Rednour/Addy Vaughn (UTM): 21-13, 21-14

Flight 5: Kayla Carrell/Haeleigh Paulino (UTM) def. Brooke Plessner/Maddie Schrandt (MSU): 16-21, 21-18, 15-13

Order of Finish: 2, 4, 3, 1, 5