MONROE, La. - The Missouri State beach volleyball team (15-2) went undefeated in the Bayou Bash hosted by Louisiana Monroe over the weekend. The Bears secured the tournament win in a tale of two matches on Saturday with a 3-2 win over the Texas A&M - Kingsville Javelinas and a 5-0 sweep against the McNeese State Cowgirls.

"Today finished in line with our goal set for the weekend," head coach Ashley Emery said. "Our team decided 4-0 was the only option for this weekend and it took every pair at some point to secure that for us."

Missouri State will conclude its three-weekend road stretch next weekend when it heads to the Arizona Invitational in Tucson, March 22-23.

"We head to Arizona next weekend," Emery said. "We are excited to work on things that need improvement from the weekend and carry these good vibes with us."

Missouri State 3 - Texas A&M - Kingsville 2

The Bears battled their way to their fifth 3-2 victory of the season as they took down the Javelinas for the first time in team history. 

Like its two Friday matches against Nicholls State and Louisiana Monroe, the pair of Brooke Plessner and Maddie Schrandt were the first to finish their match on flight No. 5. The consistency continued for the two in a straight-set sweep over the Javelina duo of Liana Huesca and Elizabeth Williams. The second set went down to the wire, but the Bears got it done, 21-16, 23-21.

Consistency was the key that worked against Allyson Larkin and Olivia Rattler on flight No. 4 as the duo was handed their first loss as a pair this season by Rylie Anderson and Meghan Stiefer. The Javelina's won both sets, 21-12. The loss was Rattler's first of the season since entering the lineup last week. It was also just Larkin's second overall loss in her first season.

Becca Bach and Manuela Niemeyer couldn't pull off the comeback on flight No. 1 against Rylan Pollard and Kalani Vasquez. After splitting the first two sets, the Bears and Javelinas went into an extended third set that took Texas A&M - Kingsville getting 20 points to seal it. Pollard and Vasquez took the win, 21-18, 16-21, 20-18.

Missouri State needed a comeback win on flight No. 3 to keep its Bayou Bash record perfect. Olivia Muriel and Erin Eschleman made up for a dropped first set with two close wins in the following sets against Madelyn Wallace and Olivia Zeigler to win, 18-21, 23-21, 15-11.

Ultimately, the match was decided on flight No. 2 where MacKenzie Steele and Amanda Cleary dueled Grace Gettys and Adrienne VanBrunt with each set being decided by two points. Steele and Cleary won their 10th match as a pair this year by a score of 22-20, 20-22, 15-13.

"That's the great thing about this sport," Emery said. "If one of us is struggling, we have the power of our team to help each other out. I'm grateful for everyone stepping into their roles this weekend."

Texas A&M - Kingsville had won six of its last seven matches coming into the day.

Missouri State 5 - McNeese State 0

The Bears were in complete control in their first-ever matchup against McNeese State in its inaugural year as a program. Missouri State took the win 5-0 with three straight-set sweeps.

Larkin and Rattler looked to prove their earlier loss was a fluke as the pair was first to finish their match on No. 4 against Isabella Ceja and Emily Koetsier. The Bears only dropped 23 points on the flight with Larkin and Rattler winning, 21-10, 21-13.

Plessner and Schrandt improved to 15-2 on the season and 15-1 on flight No. 5 with a win over the Cowgirl pair of Nadia Manitzas and Jolie Savoie, 21-11, 21-16. Missouri State extends its flight No. 5 winning streak to 15, with 14 of those coming thanks to Plessner and Schrandt.

On flight No. 2, Steele and Cleary put the finishing touches on a perfect day for them with a sweep over Rylee Lansing and Kendall Osgood, 21-19, 21-15, to officially clinch the match win and the Bears sweep of the Bayou Bash Tournament.

Muriel and Eschleman earned their 14th win as a pair this season on flight No. 3 against Harlee Tupper and Ella Swansiger in a three-set fight. The Bears used a strong showing in the first set to take the win, 21-13, 17-21, 15-11.

Flight No. 1 was a similar battle between Bach and Niemeyer on the MSU side against Carissa Chainey and Gracey Janes on the McNeese State side. It was also a first-set win that set the tone going forward. Bach and Niemeyer secured the Bears sweep, 21-18, 15-21, 15-12.

Results

Missouri State 3 - Texas A&M - Kingsville 2

Flight 1: Rylan Pollard/Kalani Vasquez (TAMUK) def. Becca Bach/Manuela Niemeyer (MSU): 21-18, 16-21, 20-18

Flight 2: MacKenzie Steele/Amanda Cleary (MSU) def. Grace Gettys and Adrienne VanBrunt (TAMUK): 22-20, 20-22, 15-13

Flight 3: Olivia Muriel/Erin Eschleman (MSU) def. Madelyn Wallace/Olivia Zeigler (TAMUK): 18-21, 23-21, 15-11

Flight 4: Rylie Anderson/Meghan Stiefer (TAMUK) def. Allyson Larkin/Olivia Rattler (MSU): 21-12, 21-12

Flight 5: Brooke Plessner/Maddie Schrandt (MSU) def. Liana Huesca/Elizabeth Williams (TAMUK): 21-16, 23-21

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


Missouri State 5 - McNeese State 0

Flight 1: Becca Bach/Manuela Niemeyer (MSU) def. Carissa Chainey/Gracey Janes (McN): 21-18, 15-21, 15-12

Flight 2: MacKenzie Steele/Amanda Cleary (MSU) def. Rylee Lansing/Kendall Osgood (McN): 21-19, 21-15

Flight 3: Olivia Muriel/Erin Eschleman (MSU) def. Harlee Tupper/Ella Swansiger (McN): 21-13, 17-21, 15-11

Flight 4: Allyson Larkin/Olivia Rattler (MSU) def. Isabella Ceja/Emily Koetsier (McN): 21-10, 21-13

Flight 5: Brooke Plessner/Maddie Schrandt (MSU) def. Nadia Manitzas/Jolie Savoie (McN): 21-11, 21-16

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