Beach Bears finish 4-0, sweep through Austin Peay Classic

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Central Arkansas beach volleyball made the most of its trip to Tennessee, finishing the Austin Peay Beach Volleyball Classic with a spotless 4-0 record.

The Beach Bears took care of business on Saturday, knocking off host Austin Peay 3-2 in a grinding five-court battle and then rolling past McKendree 3-0 to close out the weekend without a loss.

It wasn’t easy early. The Bears dropped the opening point on court five against Austin Peay and had to find answers fast.

That’s when Ella Weilert and Allison Heck stepped up on court four and turned the dual around.

The pair dropped a close first set but didn’t let it shake them. They came back to take control, finishing with a 21-23, 21-11, 15-7 run that tied the match and gave UCA something to build on.

From there, Brooke Sharp and Ella Layzell kept the momentum going on court three.

Their 21-14, 19-21, 15-11 decision was a grinder from start to finish, but they got it done and pushed the Bears ahead in the dual.

With the match on the line, UCA’s No. 1 pair didn’t flinch. Anna Linskey and Natalie Blum closed it out on court one with a 21-15, 15-21, 15-10 win, delivering the clinching point and giving the Beach Bears a 3-2 victory over the host Governors.

Sweeping McKendree

The Bears didn’t slow down in their second match of the day.

Against McKendree, UCA came out sharp from the start and never gave the Bearcats a path back into the dual.

Sharp and Layzell went right back to work, opening the McKendree match with a clean 21-12, 21-10 straight-set win on court three.

Heck and Weilert followed on court four with a 21-18, 21-18 victory to put the Bears one point away from the sweep.

Anna Jaworski and Liliana Irizarry finished the job on court five in convincing fashion, winning 21-7, 21-9 to clinch the 3-0 sweep.

With the team victory secured, courts one and two weren’t needed to finish.

Depth Drives the Weekend

What made this weekend stand out for UCA wasn’t just the wins — it’s that different pairs contributed in different matches.

Sharp and Layzell produced in both duals, and Heck and Weilert bounced back from a first-set loss to help seal the Austin Peay win before rolling through McKendree.

Linskey and Blum came through in the biggest moment of the day, clinching the tight Austin Peay match when the Bears needed it most.

And Jaworski and Irizarry capped the weekend with a dominant showing on court five against McKendree.

The Bears showed they can win in three-set battles, win comfortably, and find different contributors depending on what the moment calls for.

That kind of lineup depth matters as the season moves deeper into the schedule.

The Beach Bears head home from Clarksville riding a four-match winning streak with their sights set on the postseason.