CONWAY, Ark. - Missouri State beach volleyball (20-5) achieved its first-ever 20-win season with a pair of victories against Austin Peay State and Central Arkansas on the first day of the Beach Bear Clash hosted by UCA. The Bears battled back after trailing 2-0 to beat the Austin Peay Governors, 3-2, before taking control against the Central Arkansas Bears, 5-0.

"As a team, we have a standard of play that we try to keep ourselves in line with, and this morning was a rough start," head coach Ashley Emery said. "The important thing was the team executing the goal and getting the win."

Missouri State will have one match to end the Beach Bear Clash tomorrow in a rematch against Central Arkansas at 10:00 a.m.

Missouri State 3 - Austin Peay State 2

The lower flights owned the show in Missouri State's opening match of the weekend against the Austin Peay State Governors Friday morning with the three, four and five flights holding on to win the match, 3-2.

Austin Peay State owned the matches on the first two flights. Manuela Niemeyer made her return at flight No. 1 along with Becca Bach after missing last weekend's matches. The lead pair dueled Austin Peay State's Anna Rita and Aurora Bibolotti with the Governors sweeping the flight in two sets, 21-17, 21-19. 

It was a similar story at Flight No. 2 as MacKenzie Steele and Amanda Cleary were swept by Austin Peay State's Kelsey Mead and Mikayla Powell. The first set opened with each pair jostling for position tied at 14, but the Governors prevailed and carried the win into the second set where they led from the start. Mead and Powell defeated the Bears, 21-19, 21-14.

Flight No. 4 saw the only sweep by the Bears in the match. Olivia Rattler once again got the nod along with Allyson Larkin as the pair dominated against Maggie Duyos and Payton Deidesheimer. A strong first set created the energy for the Bears to take the sweep, 21-9, 21-17.

Down by a point and needing to win both the remaining flights, the Bears went the full three sets at both flight Nos. 4 and 5. Brooke Plessner and Maddie Schrandt started strong with a 21-17 first set against Tristin Smith and Jillian Stein. The Governors bounced back with a 21-15 win in the second set. To keep the match alive for the Bears, Plessner and Schrandt took their 20th win of the season on No. 5 with a 15-11 victory in the final set.

Olivia Muriel and Erin Eschleman once again came in clutch in tense moments at No. 3 against Jaime Seward and Riley Marshall to seal the MSU win. The Bears opened with a solid first-set win before the Governors battled in an extended second set with their backs against the wall to force a third set. Muriel and Eschleman maintained control to take their 19th win as a pair this season with a score of 21-13, 24-26, 15-12.

"It came down to the threes for the win, and Erin and Liv finished strong," Emery said. 

Missouri State 5 - Central Arkansas 0

The Bears ended the day with another win, albeit less dramatic, against the host Central Arkansas Bear. Missouri State earned its 12th sweep of the year with a 5-0 win over UCA.

"We had a team chat and realigned our focus to the UCA match," Emery said. 

Steele and Cleary were the first to conclude their match at flight No. 2 against UCA's Brooke Kuball and Anna Linskey. The MSU duo quickly made up for the Austin Peay loss with a clean win against Central Arkansas, 21-13, 21-11.

Not far behind at flight No. 4 were Larkin and Rattler who dispelled the freshmen pairing of Liliana Irizarry and Ella Weilert in a 21-17, 21-15 sweep. Larkin and Rattler were perfect on the day, earning sweeps in both their matches.

Muriel and Eschleman once again took the clinching match at No. 3, this time doing so in a sweep of their own against Anna Collums and Payton Sproule. Missouri State found separation from its Bear counterparts later in each set to claim victory, 21-12, 21-18.

"I'm proud of my teammates for coming out of the mentality we had during the first match against Austin Peay," Muriel said. "We pulled out a win against them and made sure we took every opportunity against UCA to establish our dominance."

Bach and Niemeyer were tested at the end of their match at flight No. 1 against the junior duo of Katie Atkinson and Naya Tan. Missouri State pulled away in the middle of the first set but needed a few more points to secure the sweep in the second set. Bach and Niemeyer got the job done to earn the win 21-15, 24-22.

Flight No. 5 had the only match that went to a third set, but Plessner and Schradnt extended their record-breaking season with a win against Madelyn White and Audrey Cathcart. Missouri State dropped the first and only set of the match, but Plessner and Schrandt battled back with two highly-contested set victories to win, 15-21, 21-18, 15-12.

"Maddie was struggling with some leg cramps and Brooke was doing everything she could to keep her going," Emery said. "The team rallied behind them, getting Gatorade and bananas. It is a beautiful thing seeing teammates care for each other the way ours did. I'm proud of the team. They did a great job and responded appropriately today," Emery said.

Results

Missouri State 3 - Austin Peay State 2

Flight 1: Anna Rita/Aurora Bibolotti (APSU) def Becca Bach/Manuela Niemeyer (MSU): 21-17, 21-19

Flight 2: Kelsey Mead/Mikayla Powell (APSU) def. MacKenzie Steele/Amanda Cleary (MSU): 21-19, 21-14

Flight 3: Olivia Muriel/Erin Eschleman (MSU) def. Jamie Seward/Riley Marshall (APSU): 21-13, 24-26, 15-12

Flight 4: Allyson Larkin/Olivia Rattler (MSU) def. Maggie Duyos/Payton Deidesheimer (APSU): 21-9, 21-17

Flight 5: Brooke Plessner/Maddie Schrandt (MSU) def. Tristen Smith/Jillian Stein (APSU): 21-16, 15-21, 15-11

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


Missouri State 5 - Central Arkansas 0

Flight 1: Becca Bach/Manuela Niemeyer (MSU) def. Katie Atkinson/Naya Tan (UCA): 21-15, 24-22

Flight 2: MacKenzie Steele/Amanda Cleary (MSU) def. Brooke Kuball/Anna Linskey (UCA): 21-13, 21-11

Flight 3: Olivia Muriel/Erin Eschleman (MSU) def. Anna Collums/Payton Sproule (UCA): 21-12, 21-18

Flight 4: Allyson Larkin/Olivia Rattler (MSU) def. Liliana Irizarry/Ella Weilert (UCA): 21-17, 21-15

Flight 5: Brooke Plessner/Maddie Schradnt (MSU) def. Madelyn White and Audrey Cathcart (UCA): 15-21, 21-18, 15-12

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