ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Missouri State beach volleyball team made a few lineup changes on the final day of the Battle on the Bay Tournament. The Bears started Saturday with an early-morning loss against Jacksonville University, 3-2. MSU (11-2) ended the tournament on a high note by earning sweeps in all their wins against Saint Leo University in its 3-2 win.

"It was really fun to see the growth from last year to this year against similar teams," head coach Ashley Emery said. "We are playing at a much higher level this year and are a team united. I am blessed to have such a great coaching staff by my side to help us reach these goals."

Missouri State will stay on the road next weekend as it heads to Louisiana for the Bayou Bash hosted by Louisiana Monroe starting on Friday, March 15.

Missouri State 2 - Jacksonville 3

The Bears dropped their first match on Saturday against the Jacksonville Dolphins, 3-2, amid lineup changes on flights 4 and 5.

Brooke Plessner and Maddie Schrandt were moved up to flight No. 4 after spending the first 11 matches of the season on No. 4. The pair rode in with a nine-match winning streak against Jacksonville's Claire Mrukowski and Kristina Nika. The Dolphins controlled the pace and handed Plessner and Schrandt their first straight-set loss of the season, 21-19, 21-18.

Junior Olivia Rattler made her season debut with the roster shakeup by joining forces with Allyson Larkin on flight No. 5. Rattler, who entered the 2024 season fourth in career individual wins in Missouri State history, added another one to the books in an endurance battle against Miller Reames and Skye Tiedmann. The Bears dropped a gut-wrenching first set despite scoring 26 points, but responded with a 22-point second set to force a tiebreaking set. Rattler and Larkin kept the torch lit on the overall winning streak on flight No. 5, increasing it to 10 games with a final score of 26-28, 22-20, 15-7.

The lineups on the top three flights were unchanged for Missouri State with flight No. 3 being the only one to come out victorious between them. Olivia Muriel and Erin Eschleman redeemed themselves after a tough loss yesterday against Palm Beach Atlantic with the most dominant win across each court. The pair improved to 11-1 on the season by defeating Katie Martinez and Meredith Mrukowski, 23-21, 21-12.

Flight No. 2 was another close battle for MacKenzie Steele and Amanda Cleary. Jacksonville's Emily Kubicsko and Jenna McNamara were the only ones to bring home a points-paying win via a sweep for their squad. The Dolphins stole the show on No. 2 with a win, 22-20, 21-15.

The Dolphins clinched the win on flight No. 1 to start the Battle on the Bay Tournament 3-0. Bear's duo Becca Bach and Manuela Niemeyer battled hard to make Jacksonville's pairing of Anna Erickson and Olivia Szyszkiewicz earn their win. The Dolphins won a tightly-contested first set before the Bears had a cleaner time with the second set. However, Jacksonville outperformed Missouri State in the third set to clinch the team win with a 21-19, 13-21, 15-8 victory.

Missouri State 3 - Saint Leo 2

The Bears ended their stay in the Sunshine State by flipping the script against a Saint Leo Lions team that got the best of them in 2023. Missouri State matched its win against Saint Leo at the Battle on the Bay Tournament back in 2022 with a 3-2 victory.

Cleary and MacKenzie were the first pair to finish their match with two 21-19 set wins to defeat Saint Leo's Ignacia Cortinez and Emma Miller on Flight No. 2. Cortinez and Miller were victorious last year against the Bears on Flight No. 3 against Cleary and Rattler.

Rattler kept her winning ways intact along with Larkin at No. 4. The duo expanded Missouri State's lead with another straight-set sweep up against Emma Laade and Clare Flanagan, 22-20, 21-16.

Missouri State clinched the match win before Saint Leo got on the board thanks to Plessner and Scrandt's return to the No. 5 spot where they swept their opponents Amanda Doherty and Brenna Reinhard, 21-19, 21-17.

The Lions put up a respectable fight even with the match already in the Bears' hands on the first and third flights. Muriel and Eschleman were handed their second loss of the season on No. 3 and first via a sweep. Saint Leo's Julia Panko and Kayla David were all over the beach sands and pulled away with a 21-14, 21-12 victory.

Saint Leo brought its same Flight No. 1 pair against the Bears as it did in their sweep last season. Aliya Fredette-Huffman and Jeanette Henderson got the same result this year by earning the sweep against Bach and Niemeyer, 21-13, 21-18.

"We are happy to finish out the weekend in the sun 2-2," Emery said. "We had a couple games not fall in our favor but it wasn't from a lack of effort. The team battled this weekend and we are excited to keep rolling into next weekend."

Missouri State 2 - Jacksonville 3

Flight 1: Anna Erickson/Olivia Szyszkiewicz (JAX) def. Becca Bach/Manuela Niemeyer (MSU): 21-19, 13-21, 15-8

Flight 2: Emily Kubicsko/Jenna McNamara (JAX) def. MacKenzie Steele/Amanda Cleary (MSU): 22-20, 21-15 

Flight 3: Olivia Muriel/Erin Eschleman (MSU) def. Katie Martinez/Meredith Mrukowski (JAX) 23-21, 21-12

Flight 4: Claire Mrukowski/Kristina Nika (JAX) def. Brooke Plessner/Maddie Schrandt (MSU): 21-19, 21-18

Flight 5: Allyson Larkin/Olivia Rattler (MSU) def. Miller Reames/Skye Tiedmann (JAX): 26-28, 22-20, 15-7

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


Missouri State 3 - Saint Leo 2

Flight 1: Aliya Fredette-Huffman/Jeanette Henderson (SLU) def. Becca Bach/Manuela Niemeyer (MSU): 21-13, 21-18 

Flight 2: Amanda Cleary/MacKenzie Steele (MSU) def. Ignacia Cortinez/Emma Miller (SLU): 21-19, 21-19

Flight 3: Julia Panko/Kayla David (SLU) def. Olivia Muriel/Erin Eschleman (MSU): 21-14, 21-12 

Flight 4: Allyson Larkin/Olivia Rattler (MSU) def. Emma Laade/Clare Flanagan (SLU) 22-20, 21-16

Flight 5: Brooke Plessner/Maddie Schrandt (MSU) def. Amanda Doherty/Brenna Reinhard (SLU) 21-19, 21-17

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