Bears Sweep UT Martin to Claim Tournament Title

MARTIN, Tenn. – Missouri State swept UT Martin Saturday afternoon to complete a 3-0 weekend and take home the Skyhawk Classic title.
 
The Bears (5-2) were led by freshmen Rilynn Finley and Aniya Joseph, who combined for 30 kills in the 25-18, 25-19, 25-19 victory. Finley hit .393 with 13 winners, while Joseph’s 17 kills on .326 hitting gave her 110 on the season, which surpassed Lily Johnson (eighth career match in 2014) for the quickest an MSU freshman has ever reached triple digits.
 
Joseph earned tournament MVP honors, while Morgan Sprague and Kate Owen joined her on the all-tournament team. Sprague ended the match with 39 assists and 13 digs for her fourth consecutive double-double, and Owen averaged 4.8 digs per set and served seven aces in the event.
 
MSU took a 7-2 lead in the opening set on four Joseph kills and two aces and hit .400 as a team in the opening period behind seven kills from Joseph.
 
The Bears fell behind 5-1 in the second before taking their first lead at 11-9 on consecutive Finley kills. UTM tied five times but never retook the lead, and two more Finley kills started a 4-0 run to 20-16 as the rookie finished with seven kills on .500 hitting in the period.
 
MSU opened the third on a 3-0 run and never trailed, but also never extended the lead beyond that margin until a Joseph kill made it 22-18.
 
Missouri State hit a season-high .302 in the match and has now exceeded a .200 efficiency in every match this year, the team’s longest streak since the 2017 season (13).
 
Owen’s 21 digs led all players and Brooke Eslinger added 18.
 
The Bears host the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational at Hammons Student Center Sept. 12-14. MoState takes on UT Arlington at 6 p.m. Thursday, Weber State at 6 p.m. Friday and Saint Louis at 1 p.m. Sunday.