Missouri State vs AVCA Fall Championship Qualifier
Date & Event Times	Friday, October 17 | 11:00 a.m. | 12:00 p.m.  Saturday, October 18 | 9:00 a.m.
Location	Ozark, Mo.
Site	Volleyball Beach Ozark
Follow Along	Live Results
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SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State beach volleyball returns home to Volleyball Beach Ozark this weekend, hosting the AVCA Fall Collegiate Beach Championship Qualifier on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 17–18. The two-day event will feature regional programs battling for bids to the AVCA Beach National Championships in Huntsville, Ala.

The Bears enter the weekend following an 18-10 season in 2025, highlighted by an undefeated 11-0 home record. Head coach Ashley Emery, in her fourth season, will lead two highly ranked duos into bid play, Amanda Cleary and MacKenzie Steele (No. 1 seed) and Rylie Cepicky and Ally Larkin (No. 2 seed). Cleary and Steele, in their third year together, set a new Missouri State record for most wins by a pair last season. Cepicky and Larkin were among the team's most consistent performers in 2025.

Cepicky and Larkin will begin play at 11:30 a.m. Friday against McKendree, while Cleary and Steele open the tournament at 10 a.m. versus Southwest Baptist. Winners advance to the quarterfinals at 1 p.m., with semifinal action scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday and the championship match set for 12 p.m.

The AVCA Qualifier features both bid play and open play brackets. bid play matches are best-of-three (sets to 21, 21, and 15), while open play contests are single-set matchups. Two winning pairs from the bid play bracket will punch their tickets to Huntsville for the AVCA Beach National Championships, which bring together 64 of the nation's top women's pairs. The National Championships will be held November 7-9 of this year.

Event Schedule:
Friday, Oct. 17

• 10:00 a.m. – MSU Pair B (Cleary/Steele) vs. SBU Pair A (Melanie Cox/Addison Fanning)
• 11:30 a.m. – MSU Pair A (Cepicky/Larkin) vs. McKendree Pair A (Brooke Junker/Natalie Witt)
• 1:00 p.m. – Quarterfinal Matches
• 2:30 p.m. – Additional Quarterfinal Matches

Saturday, Oct. 18

• 9:00 a.m. – Semifinals
• 12:00 p.m. – Championship