OZARK, Mo. - The Missouri State beach volleyball team had a nearly perfect weekend to open the 2025 season with four sweeping victories at Volleyball Beach Ozark on Friday and Saturday. The Bears started the season by taking every set on Friday with 5-0 wins against Southwest Baptist and McKendree. 

MoState kept that same energy on Saturday, dropping only two sets across the five flights but managed to hold its perfect match record with 5-0 wins over Park (Mo.) and Lindenwood.

"The new team is off to a fantastic start, and home court excitement was high," head coach Ashley Emery said. "This blend of new team energy and returning experience is a winning formula for sure. Two of our new players, Morgan Sprague and Rylie Cepicky, snagged their first career wins with help from their partners. We are looking forward to many more from them and to another great weekend at home Friday and Saturday."

Last Weekend (4-0)

• Missouri State went undefeated at all five flights with six different pairing combinations. Flight Nos. 1-4 went unchanged throughout the tournament.

• Becca Bach, who spent all last season at Flight No. 1, teamed up with Allyson Larkin, who won 25 matches last season. The two went 4-0 last weekend, ending with a huge comeback victory against Lindenwood's Nyah Wilson and Abby VanBuskirk after dropping the first set.

• Flight No. 2 remained the same going back through all of last season. Amanda Cleary and MacKenzie Steele went 4-0 last weekend. The duo went 20-11 last season, including a seven-match winning streak. Cleary and Steele also had a three-set victory against Lindenwood's Abby Jacobs and Annalise McWhorter.

• Flight No. 3 paired together last season's breakout freshman Maddie Schrandt and former Missouri State indoor volleyball player Morgan Sprague. The two won every set in a 4-0 showing to nab Sprague her first career win, while Schrandt surpassed 30 career wins.

• Rylie Cepicky also earned her first career win alongside Manuela Niemeyer at Flight No. 4. Niemeyer improved her Flight No. 4 career record to 16-2 after going 12-2 in 2022.

• Flight 5 saw two different pair combinations each led by Olivia Rattler who improved her career record to 46-26. She played the first three matches along with Riley Drew, who played two matches all of last year. The final match against Lindenwood saw Rattler pair with Erin Echleman for the first time. Echleman went 24-7 last year with Olivia Muriel at Flight No. 3.

All-Time Wins List
With four wins over the weekend, Rattler came within two wins of the all-time program record set last year by Brooke Plessner (48). Bach became the third player in team history to reach 40 wins. Larkin moved into the top 10, tying Parker McAllen at 29 wins.

1. Brooke Plessner (2021-24) - 48
2. Olivia Rattler (2022-25) - 46
3. Becca Bach (2022-25) - 40
4. Grace Cook (2020-22) - 39
5. Chloe Tome (2020-22) 38
6. MacKenzie Steele (2023-25) - 37
7. Manuela Niemeyer (2023-25) - 34
8. Olivia Muriel (2023-24) - 33
9. Maddie Schrandt (2024-25) - 31
T-10. Parker McAllen (2020-22) - 29
T-10. Allyson Larkin (2024-25) - 29

Up Next 
Missouri State beach volleyball will host its second early-season tournament, the Beach Bear Bash, at Volleyball Beach Ozark with matches on Friday against Southwest Baptist (9:00 a.m.) and Lindenwood (3:00 p.m.). The tournament ends on Saturday against Hendrix College (8:00 a.m.) and Central Arkansas (2:00 p.m.). Admission is free to all attendees.