YOUNGSVILLE, La. - Missouri State beach volleyball (18-10) had its eighth season as a program come to an end Friday afternoon on the second day of the Conference USA Tournament at Sugar Beach. MoState battled in a highly contested match against UAB in what was a rematch when the two teams squared off in Birmingham 14 days ago. Like in that match two weeks ago, the Blazers took the win in walk-off fashion to clinch a 3-2 victory.

"Proud doesn't feel like a big enough word to describe what we witnessed," head coach Ashley Emery said. "This team chose to battle, and they absolutely did."

The Bears had a strong showing at the higher flights, picking up wins at Nos. 1 and 2 while also taking the first set at No. 3. Both teams put forth the exact same lineups as when they played at the Blazer Beach Bash on April 11.

Flight No. 1 saw the first head-to-head match come to an end in favor of the Bears. Becca Bach and Allyson Larkin put together a complete performance to defeat Olivia Stant and Jasmine Haas, 21-19, 21-15. UAB's three-time CUSA Pair of the Week had swept Bach and Larkin in their last outing. 

"Becca and Ally stepped up in a huge way with a clutch win over a very strong UAB No. 1 pair, and that spirit carried through the lineup," Emery said.

The No. 1 Bears duo ends the season 17-9 together. Bach ends her Missouri State career with a 53-53 record, while Larkin finishes her second year with a team at 42 career wins.

UAB earned the sweep at Flight No. 4 to tie the match at one with Claudia Stockard and Olivia Chychrun getting revenge on Rylie Cepicky and Manuela Niemeyer from their previous outing. This time out, the Blazer duo took the win 21-16, 21-13. 

Cepicky and Niemeyer earned a team-best 20 wins together this season, tied for the fourth-most in program history. The 20 wins for Cepicky are the second-most by a Missouri State freshman, only behind Maddie Schrandt's 27 victories last season.

The Blazers took a 2-1 lead with a three-set victory at Flight No. 5. Sarah Smith and Addison Atkins matched their three-set win from two weeks ago against Olivia Rattler and Erin Eschleman with a 22-20, 18-21, 15-11 win.

Rattler and Eschleman went 16-9 as a pair this season at Flight No. 5. Rattler won 19 matches in total in 2025 and leaves Missouri State with a program-record 61 career victories.

The all-time winningest duo in Missouri State history tied the match at two apiece with a win at Flight No. 2. MacKenzie Steele and Amanda Cleary won their 37th match as a tandem across the last two seasons in a three-set victory over Azmabeth Infante and Isabel Day, 21-16, 19-21, 15-12. The Bears pair completed the season sweep over Infante and Day after beating them in straight sets two weeks prior.

"We've fought, we've grown and we've shown that we belong right there with the very best," Emery said. "The progress we've made year after year has been incredible, and that is a true testament to the heart, grit and work ethic of this team."

Steele and Cleary went 1-0 in this year's CUSA Tournament, with both their Day 1 matches going unfinished. The two went 17-8 this season. Steele became the fourth player in program history to reach 50 career wins on Friday.

The match came down to Flight No. 3 between Missouri State's Morgan Sprague and Maddie Schrandt and UAB's Klea Sirois and Lauren Cairo. The Blazer duo was forced to win 24 points to take the first set before the Bears tied the match up with a 21-18 second set win. Sirois and Cairo secured the win and the season sweep of Sprague and Schrandt by maintaining a lead throughout the third and final set. They ultimately won the match-clinching set, 15-11.

"We know this group will continue to raise the standard for those coming in next," Emery said. "And yes – we'll be back, hungry to advance even further."

Schrandt and Sprague went 17-10 in their first year together. After an all-time freshman campaign last year, Schrandt ends her second year at 44 career victories to sit in sixth on the Missouri State all-time list.

"To our seniors, thank you," Emery said. "You've poured so much into this program, and while we'll miss you deeply, we're so excited to see all the blessings your future holds."

The 18 wins by Missouri State in 2025 are the second most in program history, only behind the 26 victories the team had last season. The Beach Bears advanced to the second round of the CUSA Tournament in each of their first two years in the conference and are 3-4 in tournament play as CUSA affiliate members.

Emery finishes her third full season at the helm of the program and boasts a 53-30 career record as the Bears' head coach.