ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Missouri State beach volleyball (10-1) split its first two matches at this year's Battle on the Bay Tournament on Friday. The Bears extended their winning streak to 10 to start the season with a 4-1 win over host school Eckerd College. The program-record streak was snapped in the later match in a close battle against Palm Beach Atlantic University where the Sailfish won, 3-2.

"Being able to get to practice yesterday helped us start off the morning strong," head coach Ashley Emery said. "We were challenged today, and that's how we continue to get better." 

The Bears will conclude their stay at the Battle on the Bay Tournament with two matches on Saturday against Jacksonville University at 7:00 a.m. CT and against Saint Leo University at 1:00 p.m.

Missouri State 4 - Eckerd College 1

The Bears started their time in Florida with a solid 4-1 win over host team Eckerd College. The win increased Missouri State's record winning streak to 10 matches.

MacKenzie Steele and Amanda Cleary started the winning ways on flight No. 2. The pair took down the Eckerd duo of Ellissa Johnson and Melanie Silva, 21-12, 21-5. The Bears utilized a 15-8 start in the first set and jumped on an 18-2 run in the second set to dominate late.

On flight No. 4, Kenzi McSpadden and Allyson Larkin extended their winning streak to 10 matches to keep their perfect season alive against Bekah Overley and Addie White. After dropping the first three points, the Bears flipped the script around to take a 6-4 lead and stayed in front for the rest of the first set. In the second set, a quick 5-0 run set the tone to give Missouri State enough momentum for the sweep, 21-14, 21-13. 

Brooke Plessner and Maddie Schrandt clinched the team victory for Missouri State on flight No. 5 with their win against Jocelyn Escoffery and Jessi Meghreblian. The Bears jumped all over the Tritons with a 14-5 run to take the first set. The second set was much closer with the two pairs tied at 11 before a Missouri State 3-0 run gave it enough juice to take the win. Plessner ended the match with an ace for a 21-11, 21-16 score.

Another Bears pairing also stayed perfect in the season with Olivia Muriel and Erin Eschleman proving they can win in multiple ways against Brooke Hand and Mariana Olivares-Cely on flight No. 3. MSU trailed by a few points in the early going of the first set before a 4-0 run gave them the lead. The second set was more lopsided with an 8-0 run carrying Missouri State to the win, 21-17, 21-9.

Flight No. 1 was Missouri State's lone loss of the match. Becca Bach and Manuela Niemeyer dropped to 8-2 as a pair this season while having their program-best winning streak of flight No. 1 snapped at six. The Bears took the first set in a close battle with a surge in the last stretch, but Eckerd's Madison Hardbarger and Anna Jupin battled back to lead throughout the second set. Bach and Niemeyer started the deciding third set with a 3-0 run, but a Triton 5-0 run tied the set at seven and another equal run gave a commanding lead. Eckerd took their lone win in the match, 19-21, 21-16, 15-13. The win was Eckerd's first flight win of the season.

Missouri State 2 - Palm Beach Atlantic 3

The Bears suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of Palm Beach Atlantic University, 3-2 with the Sailfish winning the middle flights to snap Missouri State's program-best winning streak at 10 games. Four of the five flights went to three sets.

"It was a tough, hard-fought match that came down to playing in the dark and the last two points for the overall win," Emery said. "I'm proud of the grit we showed today. We will stay hungry for two more wins tomorrow!"

McSpadden and Larkin were handed their first loss as both a pair and as individuals. Palm Beach Atlantic's pair of Annika Huhtamaki and Abigail Mason were on the winning end of the only straight-set sweep of the match, 21-14, 21-17. The 10-match winning streak by McSpadden and Larkin was the longest on flight No. 4 in Bears history.

The same story is told on flight No. 3 where Muriel and Eschleman's record 10-match winning streak was severed by Karla Cantero and Katelyn Nadeau in an extended battle. The Sailfish pair won a close first set before Muriel and Eschleman turned the corner in a quick second set. The final tiebreaking set went long with PBA eventually winning the two points needed to secure the win, 21-19, 9-21, 18-16.

Cleary and Steele battled to three sets on flight No. 2 against Lola Ackman and Eva Herz. The first set showed how closely contested these two pairs were with PBA needing to win an extra point to take it, 22-20. Much like the Bears on No. 3, Steele and Cleary controlled the second set, but couldn't match the result in the third set as the Sailfish clinched the win with a final score of 22-20, 15-21, 15-8.

The Bears won the matches on the bookend flights starting No. 5 where Plessner and Schrandt extended their winning streak to nine matches against Julia Golichowski and Abby Plevin, 13-21, 21-18, 15-11. A slow start out of the gate fueled the Bears to come back to win the final two sets.

Bach and Niemeyer battled back following their loss against Eckerd with a passionate win on flight No. 1. Palm Beach Atlantic's pair of Anna Dunbar and Gabriella Aziz needed 30 points to win a long first set, but the Bears didn't let that define the second set by taking it by eight points. Bach and Niemeyer started a new potential winning streak of their own by taking a close third set and winning the match, 28-30, 21-13, 15-13.

Results

Missouri State 4 - Eckerd College 1

Flight 1: Madison Hardbarger/Anna Jupin (EC) def. Becca Bach/Manuela Niemeyer (MSU): 19-21, 21-16, 15-13

Flight 2: MacKenzie Steele/Amanda Cleary (MSU) def. Elissa Johnson/Melanie Silva (EC): 21-12, 21-5

Flight 3: Olivia Muriel/Erin Eschleman (MSU) def. Brooke Hand/Mariana Olivares-Cely (EC): 21-17, 21-9

Flight 4: Kenzi McSpadden/Allyson Larkin (MSU) def. Bekah Overley/Addie White (EC): 21-14, 21-13

Flight 5: Brooke Plessner/Maddie Schrandt (MSU) def. Jocelyn Escoffery/Jessi Meghreblian (EC): 21-11, 21-16

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

Missouri State 2 - Palm Beach Atlantic 3

Flight 1: Becca Bach/Manuela Niemeyer (MSU) def. Anna Dunbar/Gabriella Aziz (PBA): 28-30, 21-13, 15-13

Flight 2: Lola Ackman/Eva Herz (PBA) def. Amanda Cleary/MacKenzie Steele (MSU): 22-20, 15-21, 15-8

Flight 3: Karla Cantero/Katelyn Nadeau (PBA) def. Erin Eschleman/Olivia Muriel (MSU): 21-19, 9-21, 18-16

Flight 4: Annika Huhtamaki/Abigail Mason (PBA) def. Allyson Larkin/Kenzi McSpadden (MSU): 21-14, 21-17

Flight 5: Brooke Plessner/Maddie Schrandt (MSU) def. Julia Golichowski/Abby Plevin (PBA) 13-21, 21-18, 15-11

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