YOUNGSVILLE, La. - No. 6 seed Missouri State rallied from a 2-0 deficit Thursday afternoon to defeat No. 3 seed FIU, 3-2, in the first round of the Conference USA Championship at Sugar Beach. The comeback victory marked the Bears' first win over FIU in program history after entering the day 0-4 in the all-time series.

"What an incredible feeling to see all of our hard work come together at the right time," said head coach Ashley Emery. "I loved watching our seniors step up and get us on the board, it set the tone for everything that followed. The 4s and 5s showed that same resilience, dropping the first set but fighting back with an amazing comeback to take the win."

Missouri State dropped the first two completed flights as FIU took early control of the dual, but the Bears responded with three straight wins to pull off the comeback and advance in the tournament.

FIU 2, Missouri State 0
FIU grabbed the early edge with wins at Flights 1 and 3. Katarina Drozd and Brianna Luoma earned a 21-16, 21-12 victory over Rylie Cepicky and Allyson Larkin at the top spot, while Isabella Pereira and Kendra Brown followed with a 22-20, 21-13 win against Maddie Schrandt and Manuela Niemeyer at Flight 3 to put the Panthers in front 2-0.

Missouri State 1, FIU 2
MacKenzie Steele and Amanda Cleary put the Bears on the board with a straight-set win at Flight 2, defeating Hanna Gubik and Nicole Robison, 22-20, 21-18. The win shifted momentum toward Missouri State with two courts still in action.

Missouri State 2, FIU 2
Raylee Stenzel and Taylor Germann evened the dual at Flight 4 with a three-set comeback. After dropping the opening set, the duo answered with a 21-16 second set before closing out the match with a 15-9 win in the third for a 15-21, 21-16, 15-9 decision over Elizabeth Nye and Lauren Coady.

Missouri State 3, FIU 2
Logan Kaneshiro and Jaycee Fixsen completed the rally at Flight 5, also overcoming a first-set loss to secure the deciding point. The pair defeated Madalyn Wade and Hailey Prodan, 18-21, 21-17, 15-11, clinching the dual and sealing Missouri State's first-ever win against FIU.

"Making history today with a reverse sweep against a strong FIU team is easily one of the greatest experiences I've had so far," Emery said. "We're going to celebrate this together, lock in on film and come out ready to battle on day two."

Up Next
Missouri State advances to face No. 2 seed UAB at 8:30 a.m. Friday, April 24.