OZARK, Mo. - Missouri State beach volleyball (7-0) remained perfect on Friday to match last season's program record-best start with a couple of 5-0 sweeps against Southwest Baptist and Eastern Illinois.

"We had a great day going 5-0 against an improved SBU team and a competitive EIU team," head coach Ashley Emery said. "We agreed as a team we have to come out firing and holding our standard of play throughout the entire day."

Missouri State 5 - Southwest Baptist 0

The Bears won every set in their first match of the day against the SBU Bearcats to claim their sixth win and fourth sweep of the season.

Kenzi McSpadden and Allyson Larkin, fresh off a perfect 5-0 record in last week's home tournament, kept the winning ways going on flight No. 4 where they were the first to secure a victory. The pair defeated SBU's duo of Dylan Cochran and Ryleigh Fowler, 21-11, 21-4, with an offensive explosion in the second set.

Flight No. 2 saw an entertaining back-and-forth between MSU's duo of MacKenzie Steele and Amanda Cleary against SBU's Katie Pogue and Chandler Lawrence. The Bears trailed much of the first set and found themselves down 17-12. However, a well-timed 6-0 run gave them the lead. Missouri State ended the first set with an ace and kept that momentum into the next frame. Tied 6-6 early, Steele and Cleary pulled away and won on an initial Bearcat ace that was overturned to win, 21-19, 21-15.

Brooke Plessner and Maddie Schrandt never trailed on flight No. 5 against Rory Stanley and Briley Bagley. The Bears started the first set up 13-4 and were up 16-4 in set No. 2. Plessner and Schrandt made quick work of the Bearcats, 21-7, 21-6.

Flight No. 3 was not far behind with Olivia Muriel and Erin Eschleman being in full control against Madison Satterly and Reagan Hoerning. The Bears pairing also kept their perfect record as a duo alive with a 21-7, 21-8 win after starting the first set with a 6-1 run.

The hardest-fought win came on flight No. 1 with Becca Bach and Manuela Niemeyer clawing out a straight-set victory against Bailey Lasater and Gabrielle Belcher on the SBU side. Tied 15-15 in the first set, Missouri State went on a 4-0 run to take the advantage. The Bears trailed for most of the second set but utilized a quick 3-0 run to tie it at 17. The pairs traded points with SBU getting to set point, 20-19, but MSU shut the door with a clinching ace to win, 21-17, 23-21.

Missouri State 5 - Eastern Illinois 0

Missouri State repeated its performance in the afternoon in its first-ever matchup against the Eastern Illinois Panthers. Three of the five matches went to a third set, but the Bears pulled out each of them for their fourth consecutive sweep and fifth in their seven games.

McSpadden and Larkin improved to 7-0 as a pair and once again finished their match first on flight No. 4, defeating Eastern Illinois' Catalina Rochaix and Kate Dean, 21-14, 21-19. Each set was tied in the early going, but the Bears pulled away in the later stages, notably breaking a 14-14 tie in the second set to earn the sweep.

On flight No. 2, Steele and Cleary battled to the very end against Christina Martinez Mundo and Kaitlyn Flynn. Missouri State was down midway through the first set, but a 5-1 run knotted it up at 14 apiece. The pairs traded up to 19-19, but two quick points by the Panthers gave them the first set. The Bears flipped the script in the second set, turning a 13-9 deficit into a set win. Steele and Cleary needed a comeback in the third set, going on a 5-0 run to take the lead 13-11. In the end, the two escaped with the victory, 19-21, 21-14, 15-13.

Muriel and Eschleman also remained perfect on the year, winning 21-7, 21-10 on flight No. 3. The two opened the first set 8-1 and never looked back.

The matches on flights 5 and 1 each went to three sets with miraculous endings for the Bears. Plessner and Schrandt had a marathon ending on No. 5 against Laura Paniagua and Natalie Mitchem. The Bears dropped the first set, 21-19, before pulling away in the second set to win it, 21-14. The third set went the distance and then some, taking more points to determine a winner than a regular set. MSU and EIU went back and forth in the early going until the Panthers found some separation up 10-8. The Bears fought right back with Plessner securing the ace to tie it at 10. Anytime Missouri State scored, Eastern Illinois immediately responded to keep the match going. Plessner and Schrandt eventually got the upper hand in the deciding set, 23-21.

Flight No. 1 also had its bout of runs. Bach and Niemeyer got up to a quick 7-2 lead and led by as much as 10 at one point to take the first set against Tori Mohesky and Sylvia Hasz. The Panther pair made up a 13-8 deficit to tie the second set at 15 and later take the win, 21-18. Bach and Niemeyer went on a 7-0 run after being tied 4-4 in the third set to win it, 15-11.

The Bears will conclude their second home tournament with a pair of matches Saturday against Park University at 8:00 a.m. and with a rematch against Lindenwood at 1:00 p.m. at Volleyball Beach Ozark.

"We are going to rest, review our notes and come back tomorrow ready to take on two more teams," Emery said.

Results

Missouri State 5 - Southwest Baptist 0

Flight 1: Becca Bach/Manuela Niemeyer (MSU) def. Bailey Lasater/Gabrielle Belcher (SBU): 21-17, 23-21

Flight 2: MacKenzie Steele/Amanda Cleary (MSU) def. Katie Pogue/Chandler Lawrence (SBU): 21-19, 21-15

Flight 3: Olivia Muriel/Erin Eschleman (MSU) def. Madison Satterly/Reagan Hoerning (SBU): 21-7, 21-8

Flight 4: Kenzi McSpadden/Allyson Larkin (MSU) def. Dylan Cochran/Ryleigh Fowler (SBU): 21-11, 21-4

Flight 5: Brooke Plessner/Maddie Schrandt (MSU) def. Rory Stanley/Briley Bagley (SBU): 21-7, 21-6

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

Missouri State 5 - Eastern Illinois 0

Flight 1: Becca Bach/Manuela Niemeyer (MSU) def. Tori Mohesky/Sylvia Hasz (EIU): 21-14, 18-21, 15-11

Flight 2: MacKenzie Steele/Amanda Cleary (MSU) def. Christina Martinez Mundo/Kaitlyn Flynn (EIU): 19-21, 21-14, 15-13

Flight 3: Olivia Muriel/Erin Eschleman (MSU) def. Layne Witherspoon/Masyn Navarro (EIU): 21-7, 21-10

Flight 4: Kenzi McSpadden/Allyson Larkin (MSU) def. Catalina Rochaix/Kate Dean (EIU): 21-14, 21-19

Flight 5: Brooke Plessner/Maddie Schrandt (MSU) def. Laura Paniagua/Natalie Mitchem (EIU): 18-21, 21-14, 23-21

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